Chapter 240 – The Sleeping Flame (7)
【──It wasn’t a curse, it was mercy.】
When the Prophet finished his words like that, Veronica muttered as if deeply moved.
【Why didn’t the destruction of the gods, which I learned while searching for human remains, harm the clan… I really couldn’t even imagine that.]
【If we take away our appearance and cast a ban on them, we will no longer be gods. It is to escape from the fate of the gods.]
The Prophet’s alter ego said so to Veronica, who was chewing on the new facts.
【We were a god whose death was not confirmed in the prophecy. I didn’t see the demise of the clan in my dream. So——as the representative of the clan, I accepted the mercy of the curse.]
【… That’s why.]
Veronica opened her eyes wide as if she had realized something.
【That’s why the prophet’s reminiscence somehow oozes remorse. You, who foresaw the inevitable destruction, were saved by the gods who would lose their lives in that ruin, and saved your life and family. Yes?】
Odin said that the future is determined from the moment it is observed.
Then, in a sense, the prophet presented destruction to the gods.
Because she foresaw the fate of the gods, whether because she wanted to or not, Ragnarok happened.
Having deduced Veronica’s thoughts like that, I opened my mouth.
【No. Veronica, that’s not it.]
【What?】
I observed the Prophet’s alter ego over the astonished Veronica.
The alter ego, unable to move closely like a real life, was at a loss.
Perhaps, it is because the ‘real regret’ in the spirit of the prophet was so thick.
【There are contradictions in your words here and there. It’s a small sense of incongruity when you look at it individually, but it becomes a very big mistake when you think about it together.]
【You? What did that mean? A sense of incongruity?]
【Lets think. Even the gods couldn’t escape that person’s prophecy. The hit rate was so high that even the absurd future of the destruction of the gods really came true.]
Embarrassed Veronica. I simply explained.
【But if that’s the case, why did that person insist on “Qualifications” So much?】
【… Awesome!!]
Veronica opened her eyes. He seemed to have noticed what I was about to say.
To put it simply——the future has been finalized, but what is the significance of the intermediate process?
【The bicorns are said to have a prophecy that one day they will be saved by a savior.】
It is a foresight ability that even determines the destruction of the gods.
There is no need to judge the qualifications of a savior by putting up several layers of barriers and leaving behind an alter ego.
If I left it alone, a savior would appear on its own, do everything, and then disappear, so why would you do such a thing?
【With that prophecy, your salvation has been confirmed. But if that’s true, why did you think you were a descendant of suffering? Why did I realize that you are the descendants of investigating the world apart from the prophecy?]
A prophet confident in his foreknowledge should not have thought so. I said it emphatically.
【How did the person who told the clan that the prophecy would surely come true, how did he know that as soon as he saw you, he was a bicorn who didn’t believe in the prophecy and wandered the world?】
For example, let’s say there is a person who knows the stock market.
The person who invests succeeds, and the people around him know that.
But even if that person gave investment information to a friend who believed in him, are you sure that he hit the side gourd?
Doesn’t the front and back match?
The prophet left a holy place where he could rest and prophesy that he would be saved by his descendants.
Then, of course, when I saw Veronica, I had to think of it as a bicorn waiting for a savior in the Holy Land, as prophesied.
That is the natural state that a ‘prophet who is never wrong’ has.
【That, that’s… The Prophet saw the future in which I came out with his foreknowledge…】
【If that’s true, there’s no reason to ask for qualifications. You didn’t appear in Wisdom.]
I dismissed the excuse Veronica had picked up and served.
【That person doesn’t know you. If you were the guide of the savior who appeared in Wisdom, there would be no need to ask you for qualifications. Saying that someone has come, all you have to do is tell everyone what you prophesied.]
If the person you’ve been looking for comes, shouldn’t you welcome it by saying, “Come soon?”
Asking questions about it there would only mean that the prophet himself was not certain about his foreknowledge.
In other words.
The alter ego of the prophet saw us and had doubts, ‘Are these really the saviors?
If the word doubt sounds bad to you, you can replace it with anxiety.
【Ha, but then… Then, no way, the prophecy that has been handed down to the clan… !】
Veronica couldn’t finish her words as if her throat was choking.
The alter ego of the prophet urgently spoke to Veronica.
【This is not a false prophecy to reassure the clan. The prophet’s foresight has nothing to do with the power of the gods. Even after being cursed, I did not lose my ability to foresee.
That’s why, on the day dusk fell over Asgard, I clearly saw the future of the family being saved.]
【… If so, I will ask.]
I briefly responded to the words that were pouring out nervously.
Honestly, I felt like I was doing something I couldn’t do, but it was a problem I couldn’t just ignore. Because that would be a deception for Veronica.
【Prophet. Do you know what my name is?]
【… It’s okay.】
The Prophet’s clone bit his lip. Tears welled up in Veronica’s eyes as the revered alter ego of her ancestor lost her words.
【Answer please. Am I the savior of the prophecy of your foreknowledge?]
Only my voice echoed in the cave. Wow, what a real world fucking fuck. My conscience will be pricked and I will search for it.
Foragers are not creatures that harass women. When Veronica tried to cry, she got depressed to the point of fucking me.
【I’m glad if it’s true, but as soon as you saw us, you looked at whether we were qualified with magic. For me, that makes me skeptical.]
The alter ego of the Prophet whose eyes glowed with magical light as he watched us.
If you think about the process of reading some information from us with it and then explaining it as if you were relieved——we could never have been ‘participants of a certain prophecy’.
The Prophet’s alter ego has no answer.
I said with a sigh.
[Chaos’ favorite. You said that it refers to a human being who is not bound by fate. Thousands of years since the end of the age of mythology, humans have dominated the world during that time.]
The end of the age of myth, after Ragnarok.
The gods had little to do with the earth.
Since then, humans have built an ancient civilization and welcomed a golden age.
Of course, it should be said that this is a decisive contradiction, but there was one questionable point. But let’s do this later. It’s not important right now.
What matters now is the future of bicorns.
I made assumptions that I really didn’t want to make.
【… Prophet. Hasn’t your foresight been inaccurate since Ragnarok?]
It’s a silence that would have died from awkwardness if Ralilura had been present.
The Prophet’s alter ego was eventually revealed.
【… The day of salvation that I foresaw has passed 5,000 years ago.]
【… Then.】
Veronica was stunned as if in shock. The Prophet’s clone lowered her eyes, just as he did when he first heard Veronica’s self-introduction.
The reason why the prophet left the Holy Land and wandered was probably in order to somehow match the prophecy that had gone wrong 5,000 years ago.
【Then… Then what about the clan?]
Veronica asked in a trembling voice.
【Isn’t there a way to break the clan’s curse? Even if the prophecy goes wrong, we can escape our fate by ourselves, right?]
Having lost the support of her mind, Veronica tried to grab the hem of her ancestor’s alter ego.
However, her body, which was only an image, passed through Veronica’s hand coldly. Her Veronica’s hand went down helplessly.
It was the first time I saw a weak look. Maybe the reason why Veronica seemed to have a strong will was because she believed the prophet’s prophecy as much as she did.
Looking back, it was like that.
Even when I told her the true nature of the rune stone, Veronica was more pleased with the idea that I was the savior of the prophecy than the fact that her research was futile.
【We… You don’t have to be abandoned by the world while being trapped in the Holy Land forever, right?]
… Fluff.
Veronica, who was on her knees, muttered as if to herself.
There was no one to comfort Veronica’s shock because she couldn’t speak to anyone.
“Huh, uhhh… Ugh…”
Grabbing her chest, Veronica’s breathing quickened strangely. It seemed she started hyperventilating in shock. I hastily took out her seal. It was because he did not have the words to think of words of consolation.
─Whiririk!
I poured the mana of the 9 runes contained in the seal into one rune I had.
I didn’t think it was a waste. It was a rune that would be useful for Shade and battle, but even if it wasn’t, I would have used it as much as I could if it could calm the wounds in her heart for a while.
The true realization of the runes that signify peace, security, and rest penetrated my head.
“──ᚦ(Thurs).”
With rune magic, I activated sleep magic that makes me have comfortable dreams.
… Tuuk.
Veronica, who was traumatized, fell asleep without being able to resist the sleep magic at all.
Of course, even if she falls asleep and wakes up, nothing changes. But it would be possible to give her time to cool off. I propped up Veronica as she fell beside her.
【… Thank you My favorite child of chaos.]
【I didn’t do it to get thanks.】
I replied sullenly.
There were many excuses, but in the end, the prophet made a mistake with a prophecy that went wrong. There must have been guilt and good intentions for not expecting this result, but it was an undeniable fact that he was a fraudster.
As if he knew I was thinking that way, the alter ego explained.
【Destiny is self-fulfilling. Even if my prophecy is wrong, if those with the same conditions hold on to the thread of fate, it will come true as if it were molded.]
【I won’t ask you what’s the difference between a foreknowledge that was put together like that and fabrication or fraud. Is there a way to curse even if the prophecy is wrong?]
【… If you pray to a god with mana that exceeds Odin-sama’s curse, you will be able to grant it.]
【It means that you have to beg for mercy to help people who are strangers. That’s also for an opponent who has collapsed after Ragnarok and can’t even afford to help others.]
I didn’t notice, but maybe I was a bit pissed off too. It was only after I became conscious that I realized that my tone had become rough.
【… Ha.】
I let go of my irritation with a sigh.
What was the prophet guilty of? It was unlikely that a true prophet would have the power to determine the future.
If the gods move according to fate, it was only fate that the prophet foresaw Ragnarok.
Fate or coincidence, he left his hometown and tried to save his family, but failed.
To rectify that failure, the end of his life wandering around Manri-hyang ended up in an inn in a different world. I felt like it was nothing to get angry at because I was like an IF future of a master’s forager living somewhere.
I thought about what to do with my alter ego, so I decided to think constructively.
[Let’s change the topic for a while to refresh our mood. Prophet. Do you know about the shade material called “Burning Branch”?】
You should get it in advance before you fucking forget it. If something happens to Veronica, she might rush up, but if you go and ask then it will be too late.
At my words, the Prophet’s clone pointed nearby.
【If it’s a tree branch that grew naturally after receiving the mana of the flame… How about that?]
There was a dry tree or a branch growing there.
It almost felt like a well-dried piece of wood stuck to the floor. It is debatable whether it is worth considering that it is alive. First of all, I vote for Mali Dead Tree.
【Even if you ask how it is, I don’t know. Let’s pull it out.]
─Puddeuk!
Caught a dry tree and pulled it out.
The tree twisted like an old man’s arm was eaten without knowing why it was called a ‘flaming branch’. Unlike the rough appearance, the texture was a smooth tree branch.
It looks like it would be good for fantasy wizards to use as a wand. It would also be good for rooks.
【Take care when handling burning branches. If you wish, I can pass on some knowledge.]
The alter ego of the prophet who returns to basic mode and explains.
After all, a program is a program. If the trauma word is not stimulated, it will return to do its job like an AI.
It’s tiring that the gloomy atmosphere continues, so let’s count it as a good thing.
【All right. I will write it down, so please tell me.]
【If you don’t mind, I will pass on the knowledge through magic.】
【Magic? … Well, please.]
Considering the magic that increases my fire resistance right now, it’s worth trusting. The Prophet’s alter ego drew up the mana stored in the stone stele.
【This magic can only transmit knowledge related to magic. I transmit some of the magical knowledge left behind by my body. Please do not move from your seat.]
【You can send all of them, not just some of them.】
【There is no meaning in rune magic if you only have knowledge, but is that okay?】
【Yeah. If there are no side effects, I will just accept everything.]
Without enlightenment and rune mana, knowledge of rune magic would be useless, but it would be better than not having it.
The Prophet’s alter ego activated magic as if he knew. It is a runic magic that floats a mandala behind her back, which Veronica also used a few times in God Mode.
─Hwaaaaak!!
A mandala also appeared under my feet. It was the rune of ᚨ (Ansuz), which conveys words.
Some knowledge came into my head, like a book page taken as a PDF and stored in my brain. After spending so much time absorbing the knowledge, I made an impression.
‘Studying must be work, too.’
I can see why you didn’t recommend it. It feels like I have my major books in my head via USB.
The problem was that I didn’t understand the contents, so it was only as effective as an open book.
‘Of course, it’s not like I’ve suffered a loss.’
From the knowledge I have now acquired, I have selected a magic that I am familiar with. Other than the use of this branch, it was one of the magics used in a runaway state.
The knowledge was obtained through magic earlier. My body, remembering how to use it, reproduced the trick of the magic itself.
Originally, he had no knowledge, so he couldn’t recall anything like a person who had lost his memory, but when the knowledge came in, he moved his body. It’s like holding a knife to a cook with amnesia.
─Booung.
I floated a green mandala in the palm of my hand.
It was a high-level application of rune magic.
Originally, it is a high-difficulty skill that requires several months of basic learning! However, it wasn’t too difficult because the inherited knowledge and the traces learned in cheat mode were combined.
Currently, only ᚨ (Ansuz) and ᚦ (Thurs) could be added to this mandala, but it seemed that other runes could be added in the future.
─Break it! I dispelled the magic.
The original purpose and the main guest were overturned, but after all, isn’t the attempt to obtain the material for the shade to find the answer to this question?
I asked, intending to listen as much as I could until Veronica woke up.
【Prophet. I once met Odin’s alter ego in a dream.]
