Chapter 131
Chapter: 131
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 131
>Chapter Title: Oracle (5)
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Delcross's young oracle.
Before the startled Sung-jin could even respond, Ricardo strode forward and settled into the chair across from him.
Legs crossed elegantly, he leaned back into the plush seat with an air of utter nonchalance—the picture of a wealthy magnate's son.
"Hm? Why the long face? Surely you didn't come to see me for anything else? I thought you'd share your time with me as always, regaling me with your prophecies great and small."
"......"
Sung-jin's mind reeled.
Hold on. Mores was the oracle? What kind of nonsense was that?
[Lee Sung-jin.]
At that moment, the Demon King whispered in a somewhat tense tone.
[No major changes in his blood pressure or pulse. He seems suspiciously relaxed, but for now, it doesn't look like he's lying. Only...]
'Only?'
[I can't confirm if that guy is really Sigurd Sigurdson, no matter how closely I look. And that's because his body and soul are those of a proper real-world human! A genuine human!]
So that meant...?
[I don't fully grasp what this "avatar" concept entails. But if we assume it's something like a puppet being controlled remotely, could it really have a soul as intact as that one's?]
'...You're right.'
So Sisle's guess had been wrong after all.
Frowning, Sung-jin turned his gaze back to the man. Ricardo had been watching Sung-jin's face with an amused grin the whole time.
With no other choice, Sung-jin decided to piece together the facts step by step.
"You say I gave you prophecies?"
"Indeed. Hm... it seems the rumors of your lost memories are true."
Ricardo gazed at Sung-jin with a pitying look, stroking his smooth chin.
"You seem terribly confused, my dear friend. Does that mean I won't hear your tales today?"
"Yeah. I'm not here to talk today—I'm here to listen. So you'll need to cooperate with me."
"Of course. Ask me anything you're curious about. Aren't you the one and only living jewel in this Delcross? What wouldn't I do for such a precious soul?"
A sudden chill prickled up Sung-jin's arms.
What was with this guy's speech? Some kind of mental attack?
"...Do people ever tell you that you come off as sleazy?"
"Even harmless jests wound when repeated too often."
Heard that one a lot, huh.
"Very well. I'll set aside today's gathering just for you—a tribute to all the days we've shared."
"Then start by telling me what I usually did when I came here."
"As you wish."
Ricardo paused to stroke his chin thoughtfully, organizing his thoughts.
"How to put it. We mostly talked about people."
"People?"
"Yes. We'd gaze down at the banquet hall, weaving tales of their myriad possibilities and the branching futures they might forge. It was a thrilling and meaningful endeavor."
"So you're saying I made prophecies about the people in the banquet hall?"
"Well, in brief terms, yes."
Ricardo furrowed his brow as he added,
"But I wonder if it truly matters for you to ask me these things. Memories aside, if you set your mind to it, isn't anything possible for you? Your mysterious eyes still shine as brightly as ever."
"Eyes?"
When Sung-jin echoed the word, Ricardo nodded.
"Yes. The oracle's eyes that pierce the truth."
"Oracle......"
Wait. Weren't oracles supposed to be from the Kornsiim clan? And they were all gone now.
So why was it coming up here?
Ricardo tilted his head, studying Sung-jin's complicated expression.
"...You really know nothing at all. Very well, oracle. Shall we start there?"
"......"
"Ah, do you at least know about the Kornsiim clan?"
Kornsiim clan.
He'd heard a brief rundown from Captain Bruno before.
—I am Arenza, leader of the clan, and currently acting as the Kornsiim oracle.
That was how Arenza, who had possessed the captain, had introduced herself.
After she was swiftly expelled, Captain Bruno had filled in the gaps she hadn't covered.
—The Kornsiim clan is an insular bloodline that's long resided in Delcross. Rumors say they all excelled at manipulating souls, wielding bizarre forbidden arts beyond ordinary imagination. Looking back, they were probably all channeling adepts.
They were said to possess many otherworldly techniques as well. Branded devil worshipers for it, most had been executed by inquisitors years ago.
Arena's inner agents were among the few Kornsiim survivors of that purge.
"...But I heard there's no oracle now—just someone acting in their place?"
Ricardo nodded at Sung-jin's question.
"Correct. The Kornsiim lost their true oracle decades ago. Strictly speaking, though, the oracle didn't vanish. They simply chose to hide from their own clan."
Ricardo lifted his gaze, staring off into space with unfocused eyes. Then he smiled meaningfully.
"The current oracle is much the same. He lives on. He's merely sealed his prophecies and chosen utter silence."
"......"
Why was that...?
The moment he heard those words, a familiar face flickered briefly in Sung-jin's mind.
...No way?
"But do you know this?"
Ricardo's eyes refocused. He stared straight into Sung-jin's eyes as he continued.
"An oracle who does not prophesy is like a bird that does not sing—utterly useless in this world. And the natural order never spares those who defy their purpose."
"......"
"The previous oracle met a profoundly lonely and wretched end. And the current one shares that same fate. I don't know how he's evaded it so far, but it won't last much longer."
Ricardo's lips curled into a deeply suspicious smile.
"Now, a riddle for you, the next in line. What fate awaits you?"
"......"
"If you can no longer share prophecies with me, what do you think will befall you next?"
Sung-jin felt a surge of disgust.
He got the point: the "next oracle" Ricardo meant was Mores.
True or not, the man's intent was crystal clear. He was pretending to cooperate, but in reality, this guy was—
"You bastard, is this some pathetic attempt at blackmail?"
"......"
"I'll cut to the chase. Are you that Dimensional Storyteller?"
Stunned by Sung-jin's blunt outburst, Ricardo gaped for a moment before bursting into laughter, his face alight with delight.
"Ahahaha! Blackmail? Such harsh words between friends."
At least he wasn't denying knowledge of the Dimensional Storyteller.
"Are you Sigurd Sigurdson?"
"Hahaha, what do you think?"
What do I think? You're the culprit.
Despite the flimsy evidence, Sung-jin was certain. It was an inexplicable gut feeling.
He couldn't fathom how a real-world human with an intact soul could be someone else's avatar. But this man was Ricardo Scarfino—and Sigurd Sigurdson.
"You showed that butterfly monster to Seyser too, didn't you? Why try to manipulate her into a fake saint?"
"Ahahaha!"
Ricardo laughed as if it were the funniest thing imaginable. And yet, for all the noise in the wide-open banquet hall, no one glanced their way. It was uncanny.
Sung-jin shot a wary glance toward the floor below, an ominous foreboding stirring. Ricardo, laughing so hard tears welled in his eyes, finally spoke.
"Indeed. So you've heard something from her. She seems naive, yet surprisingly guarded. How ever did you pry it out of her?"
No intent to hide that he knew Seyser, either.
Feeling deeply uneasy, Sung-jin rose from his seat. Ricardo looked up at him and asked,
"Leaving already? We haven't even caught up properly. I do hope you'll visit again at our next gathering, my friend."
"Who knows? Might be tough."
"And why is that?"
Does this guy really not know?
Turning toward the corridor, Sung-jin spat out his words.
"Because I don't hang out with creeps. Consider our friendship over!"
"Surely not......"
"If you know what's good for you, cut the crap. An official investigation from the palace is coming soon, so stick around and play nice. I'll report everything about you to my father."
Ricardo smiled with infuriating confidence.
"Who knows. Do you really think the Holy Emperor leaves me be out of ignorance? There are unwritten rules in this world that even he cannot breach. It's beyond his control."
Beyond his control.
Suddenly, Sung-jin recalled something the Holy Emperor had said before.
—Do whatever you want. If you wish to right that injustice, so it shall be.
And Katrina had said something similar.
—His Majesty cannot aid everyone unconditionally.
—Would my request become the condition for helping the captain?
—Sometimes, merely voicing something can shake its very foundation to ruin, Your Highness.
...He felt like he was onto something.
"How about this, then?"
Now it was Sung-jin's turn to smile at Ricardo.
"What if I want it? What if I ask my father to deal with you properly?"
"......"
"Would he still let you off the hook like now?"
Ricardo's expression drained away like the tide.
Gone was his earlier ease; a cold ferocity began creeping into his eyes as he stared at Sung-jin.
'Jackpot!'
Sung-jin turned to leave, but then—thud—he felt like he'd bumped into something solid.
'...Huh?'
The corridor was right there, clear as day, yet something blocked his path. What the hell?
Puzzled, Sung-jin reached out to probe the air. Then the Demon King shouted tensely in his mind.
[Lee Sung-jin, this is a barrier!]
A barrier?
[Yes. It's not this world's laws, so I was slow to notice! Somehow, this area has fallen under the real-world's laws!]
Real-world laws.
Sung-jin whirled back toward the man he suspected as the culprit.
[How unfortunate that things have come to this.]
Ricardo had risen from the armchair and approached, his voice echoing strangely.
[In this frozen world, you alone could understand me, my one true friend.]
A blue butterfly fluttered in from nowhere, circling Sung-jin.
Dileria's butterfly?
[You'd best not think of fleeing. Surely you know that by now?]
Flutter, flutter. More butterflies joined it, their numbers swelling.
And then.
[I am the Dream Demon King.]
A storm of blue butterflies surged toward Sung-jin.
* * *
Inside a rundown warehouse on Bertrand Street.
Romaine, clumsily stitching a shabby yellow stuffed doll, suddenly jolted upright.
"What? Stabbed yourself with the needle again? Why waste time on that pointless puppet show?"
Leonhard grumbled from beside her, swigging straight from the bottle.
"...Lord Leo."
Romaine's voice trembled with faint excitement as she addressed him.
"[Puppeteer] has finally opened the labyrinth's entrance!"
"...What?"
Leonhard blinked in confusion for a moment before horror dawned on his face.
"For real?"
"Yes."
Romaine tossed aside her sewing kit and doll, leaping to her feet.
"Hahaha. Hid so well until now, only to pull a suicidal stunt like this!"
"Where? We need to hurry before he slips away again."
"No need to worry, Lord Leo. Even if he flees before we find him, it won't be an issue."
The eyes behind the half-mask gleamed fiercely as they stared into some unseen distance.
"Delcross's guardian will never let him escape, after all."