Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Prophecy (3)
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"Hoo..."
After a simple hearing wrapped up, including a magic check to verify the truth of my story, I returned to my room.
The result was, of course, a pass.
I hadn't lied, after all.
'Still, they looked like they couldn't believe it.'
A mongrel like me had taken down all six of those elf-dwarf mixes, even if they were half-breeds.
When they asked how, I answered that I'd won miraculously.
My body had been a total wreck when I got back, so it was believable enough.
Everyone seemed to buy it and let it go.
Anyway.
The labyrinth incident was settled nicely.
I'd only protected myself.
They'd just been unlucky and died.
No punishment for me, so this whole thing was resolved well.
But...
'Elena Silbaren, huh...'
In Nikia's case, the pureblood dwarf seemed weak to my Male Pheromone trait and was still out of it.
But Elena, a pureblood elf.
She was affected by the Male Pheromone too.
Yet she held out with her overwhelming pride.
'Kinda makes me uneasy...'
Purebloods had strong pride in their purity.
What if she felt a sexual attraction to me because of the Male Pheromone?
Would she warm up to me right away, like that half-breed Seraphim, Tiriel?
No way.
'She might even find it repulsive... especially since she tried to kill me.'
As a guy, it felt like getting an instinctive boner from an ugly woman's touch.
Yeah, thinking of it that way was pretty gross.
"...Too early to relax."
The Male Pheromone wasn't something I could control.
So I had to clearly separate its pros and cons and deal with them.
Pro: In situations like earlier, it could debuff enemies right in front of me, dropping their guard.
Con: Like I'd just thought, once the debuff wore off, it could provoke their rage.
'Which means... I need to raise my stats even more.'
I couldn't just prepare for the weekly gladiator matches anymore.
With stuff like the labyrinth incident, threats could come anytime, anywhere.
I needed more power.
Enough to respond whenever.
"Grahh...!! You chuunibyou lizard Rahart...!! Can't you help out a little...!!"
As I scratched my head furiously, cursing the unresponsive dragonkin tyrant.
Ding! [Ancestor 'Star Prophet' is watching you.] "Huh? Who...?"
I figured it was a message from the usual trio: Elisis, Morduin, or Arkan.
But no.
"What...?"
The Star Prophet.
A new ancestor had suddenly taken an interest in me.
"The Star Prophet..."
Setting aside why a new ancestor was showing up right now.
I knew who that title referred to.
Of course, it came to mind immediately.
"The Seraphim saintess, Astril...!"
Ding! [Ancestor 'Star Prophet' slightly opens her mouth at your words!] Astril was the only one who fit the prophet title, so guessing was easy.
Saintess Astril.
Among order-aligned races, the Seraphim sat at the extreme end of order.
Even purer than elves, who represented order-aligned races.
Their specialties were healing magic for diseases and wounds, and holy power to purify chaotic, impure mana.
And Astril was the root ancestor the Seraphim revered.
The saintess said to have come closest to godhood among all mortals in history.
"Why are you taking an interest in me...? And so suddenly."
A new ancestor's approach was cause for joy.
I had the trait to receive gifts from them.
But without any warning.
The 'Star Prophet' approaching me like this.
True to her title..., there had to be a reason.
And.
Ding! [Ancestor 'Star Prophet' gives you a gift.] "What? S-suddenly...?!"
[Acquired 'Shard of the Milky Way'!] Astril dropped a gift on me without warning.
Having just gotten an overkill gift from Rahart not long ago.
I flinched instinctively.
Shard of the Milky Way.
A fragment of the galaxy that recorded this world's time, allowing one to observe the future.
Mine was single-use, but it held the power of prophecy.
No telling what backlash it might bring.
"What are you trying to, show me...?"
But as I fretted over the backlash, my mind began to blur.
The prophecy was beginning.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Before Slave Number 17 faced the Star Prophet, Astril.
As he was having his labyrinth tale truth-checked by magic.
Ding! [Ancestor 'Eternal Teacher of the Fairies' opens her eyes wide!] At that moment.
Elisis, who had requested to observe Number 17's steamy future with the Seraphim healer Tiriel.
Freaked out at the future Astril showed her.
There, Number 17 lay collapsed with a hole in his chest, blood pouring out.
And Tiriel was tearfully casting healing magic on him.
The location was unknown.
No surroundings visible.
Just the two of them in the scene.
Ding! [Ancestor 'Eternal Teacher of the Fairies' pleads with Ancestor 'Star Prophet'!] [Ancestor 'Star Prophet' shakes her head.] [Ancestor 'Eternal Teacher of the Fairies' pleads with Ancestor 'Star Prophet'!] Elisis begged Astril desperately.
More earnestly than her usual spoiled pleas to see the future.
Elves and Seraphim, both order-good aligned races.
Fairies and Seraphim had always gotten along since ancient times.
And so did Elisis and Astril.
The two were like sisters.
Astril was weak to her few friends' tears.
Ding! [Ancestor 'Star Prophet' lets out a light sigh.] Ding! [Ancestor 'Eternal Teacher of the Fairies' smiles brightly!] Elisis had taken a liking to that mongrel descendant.
Having once been a talentless human who'd despaired herself.
She saw her past self in the gifted-less mongrel's persistent struggles.
——And for some reason, he nagged at her mind.
[Ancestor 'Eternal Teacher of the Fairies' pleads with Ancestor 'Star Prophet'!] Why?
An instinctive unease welled up.
Imagining that mongrel's death filled her with inexplicable fear, spurring her to act.
It was strange.
She'd never met anyone like him back when she lived.
Yet watching him stirred a familiar, warm sensation in her chest.
She didn't know what it was.
But that man was clearly important to Elisis.
That's why she cared.
Enough to recklessly show a prophecy of the present world to a mortal.
And not even a Seraphim, but a mongrel.
A huge risk.
Fwaaaah—!!
[Ancestor 'Eternal Teacher of the Fairies' clutches her chest in pain!] So Astril met the mongrel descendant.
And handed him the Shard of the Milky Way.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ I woke up collapsed on the floor.
"Fuck..."
The curse slipped out first thing.
Couldn't help it.
I'd been forced into sleep and forced to dream.
The dream was a prophecy of the future.
In it, my chest was pierced.
Blood gushing from my mouth, gasping like I was about to die.
Tiriel pouring holy power into me, casting healing magic.
That scene alone filled my vision.
"What the hell...?"
I sat up and asked the air.
The culprit who made me dream it, obviously.
The Star Prophet, Astril.
But the reply came from an unexpected ancestor.
Ding! [Ancestor 'Eternal Teacher of the Fairies' looks at you worriedly.] "Elisis...?"
Why was Elisis replying instead of the Astril I'd asked?
I didn't ponder long.
'I see... Elisis must have asked her.'
Fairies and Seraphim had always been close.
Not strange for Astril to grant her request.
"Thank you..., Ancestor."
I thanked Elisis politely.
She'd warned me of a dangerous future, after all.
Ding! [Ancestor 'Eternal Teacher of the Fairies' smiles innocently!] Ding! [Ancestor 'Eternal Teacher of the Fairies' bleeds from her mouth.] "Am I worth going that far for?"
I smirked at the messages and replied.
I'd seen the future.
After using Rahart's power, I knew the cost of unqualified strength.
The price for this prophecy vision was probably on Elisis.
And she messaged back.
Ding! [Ancestor 'Eternal Teacher of the Fairies' requests you remove your top!] Muscle pervert response, as expected.
Still, as thanks for the help, I stripped off my top and started today's daily quest.
"Hup, hup..."
Ding! [Ancestor 'Eternal Teacher of the Fairies' drools with a smile!] As I did push-ups, I recalled the future I'd just seen.
'Definitely... not dead yet.'
But it didn't look survivable either.
Tiriel's reaction alone by my side suggested death was certain.
That future was clearly a warning.
Keep going like this, and you'd die.
But.
In another sense, it was a massive mountain I had to overcome.
'A saintess's prophecy... is always like that.'
When I played as Astril, I'd issued such prophecies as the saintess a few times.
I knew what happened to those who received them.
——Those who try to avoid the prophecy itself end up devoured by it through their actions.
In other words, you couldn't dodge the situation itself.
Avoidance only tightened the noose.
'What I have to do is one thing...'
The correct answer for the prophecy's subject was singular.
'Survive——.'
Against the savage prophecy beast clutching death's outcome.
Just face it with full preparation.
"Hoo, alright..."
I finished the bodyweight workout, wiped sweat, and grinned.
To prepare for that future death.
My task from now on was obvious.
Get stronger.
"Perfect timing with the new guest."
I grinned up at the ceiling.
Thinking of the timid Seraphim girl watching me from beyond.
Ding! [Ancestor 'Star Prophet' is watching you.]