Chapter 140
Chapter: 140
-----------------------------------------------------------------
>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 140
>Chapter Title: The Holy Emperor's Crown (2)
>-----------------------------------------------------------------
>“That gem on the necklace is like a milestone for the Oracle.”
“A milestone?”
“Indeed. Shattered and broken into pieces, it serves to remind him that this is not mere foresight, but reality.”
The Holy Emperor did not deny being the Oracle. On top of that, he even provided Seongjin with quite detailed explanations on various matters.
It was a sight rarely seen from him under normal circumstances.
“Yet, though broken, the fact that it retains its shape means its purpose has not yet been fulfilled. The fact that it ended up in your hands is likely no coincidence.”
“That is...”
Seongjin paused for a moment before asking.
“Is it because I am the next Oracle?”
“...”
The Oracle's milestone probably held its meaning only when in the Oracle's possession.
The Holy Emperor stared silently at Seongjin's face for a moment, then nodded.
“...Yes. He must have told you that as well. It is exactly so.”
For this man, it felt unusually straightforward.
It seemed because Seongjin had already heard quite a bit of information from Sigurd Sigurson beforehand.
By the way, that utter wastrel Mores is really the Oracle?
No, how could a so-called prophet live so recklessly without a thought for tomorrow?
“As you say, the Dimension's Storyteller told me I am the next Oracle. However...”
Seongjin hesitated briefly before continuing.
“But as you know, Father, I am not the same as I was before my fever. I have no precognitive abilities.”
[I] am not your real son. So I am probably not the Oracle.
Yet you, who knows that best, why entrust this gem to me?
“Do you know this, Seongjin?”
The Holy Emperor gazed at him with deepened eyes.
“The Kornsiim clan possesses eyes that see the truth. That is why many among them foresee the future. Or even if not distinct precognition, they have a sort of intuition that gauges the future to some degree.”
“...”
“In truth, it would not be an exaggeration to say the entire clan has the qualities of prophets.”
The entire clan are prophets? Then why is the Oracle so special among them?
How could Mores, lacking clear precognitive ability, surpass them to become the next Oracle?
“The most important quality for an Oracle is not foresight.”
Seongjin blinked at the unexpected words.
“Not foresight...?”
“Indeed. An Oracle is not one who sees the future, but one who lives it. The path he thinks and treads becomes the future he chooses.”
It seemed somewhat understandable at first glance, yet not quite.
Doesn't one need to foresee the future to choose properly and live it out?
At that, the Holy Emperor interlaced his fingers as if organizing his thoughts, then asked.
“Very well, let us take an example. You met him recently, did you not? Livga, the head of Arenza.”
If it meant the time he possessed Bruno's body.
“Yes, I did.”
“Indeed. He is one who has quite strong foresight. Excluding his occasional pointless antics, he can be called someone with a fairly useful ability.”
Ah, so that's how it is.
Livga had been so cautious fearing detection by the Holy Emperor, but this man knew everything anyway.
“So, what did you think? Were his words helpful to you?”
“Hmm...”
If asked whether they were helpful, well, probably not really?
He had informed Seongjin that two of the missing people he was searching for were detained by the Milo Merchant Guild. He had also advised meeting the Saintess before confronting Ricardo.
'Huh? Wait a minute.'
What was the information he provided again? Seongjin had instructed Dasha to monitor them, but it wasn't information worth diving into right now.
And what about his advice? Seongjin had found it bothersome and ignored it, yet the Saintess had come to him without any prior arrangement!
“...Come to think of it, it was really utterly useless, wasn't it?”
As Seongjin muttered in bewilderment, the Holy Emperor asked again.
“In living your own life, did you find yourself needing anything beyond your own will?”
“...”
“Does whether you are the Oracle or not become such an important issue there?”
At that question, words the Holy Emperor had said to him recently flashed through Seongjin's mind.
-Do whatever you wish. If you desire to right that injustice, it shall be so.
Simply act on your desires.
What matters is not seeing the future, but the will to live it.
Then another doubt arose in Seongjin.
“In that case, why on earth did Arenza's head do such pointless things...”
Seongjin trailed off, furrowing his brow.
He was someone claiming to be the Oracle's proxy. He surely knew that much.
Yet he went so far as to possess Bruno's body to contact Seongjin—what was the intent behind that? It felt highly suspicious.
At that moment, a faint silver glint passed through the Holy Emperor's eyes as he met Seongjin's gaze.
“First, let us clarify one point. Why did you not pursue an investigation of the merchant guild based on the information he provided?”
“Yes? Well...”
Because poking around the Milo Merchant Guild over some insignificant missing people felt like it would let the truly important matters sink completely out of sight?
“Indeed, that must be it.”
The Holy Emperor nodded and continued.
“Let us consider another point. Suppose you had straightforwardly followed his advice and sought to meet the Saintess. What method do you think you would have used?”
“Hmm. First, wouldn't I have sent a letter requesting a meeting?”
“Likely so. But if you had, do you think the highly vigilant Saintess—who is currently rejecting all invitations from the capital's nobles—would have met you so readily?”
“Uh...”
“Did Livga truly not know that? Do you think he gave that advice because he genuinely wanted you to meet the Saintess beforehand?”
A chill ran down his spine, as if cold water had been poured over his head.
As Seongjin's expression stiffened, the Holy Emperor calmly continued his explanation.
“Remember this well, my son. The Kornsiim clan are the least trustworthy people in this world. The reason I keep them in the palace and favor them is precisely because their talents are useful yet dangerous.”
“...”
“Every word the Kornsiim clan speaks to someone is an expression of their will to predict the future and alter its outcome. Thus, all their words carry clear intent and are, without exception, lies.”
The Kornsiim clan are all liars.
The Holy Emperor said so. His voice was so calmly matter-of-fact that it almost felt infuriating.
Suddenly, Seongjin's eyes fell on the shattered pendant lying on the table.
But Father. What about Grandmother?
Your mother, who was of the Kornsiim clan?
* * *
“I want to go home!”
With a booming shout, the hefty Barsha warrior's body was flung onto the sandy ground. Thud!
A moment of silence.
Then, a massive cheer erupted.
Wooooaaah!
“Is that the Owen guy? Pretty good for an imperial.”
“He's definitely an outstanding warrior! But isn't today his first time at Barsha-style wrestling?”
“So what? He's on a winning streak so far! And his next opponent is last year's champion, Avutarku!”
The young Volanta tribesmen exchanged excited words.
Their eyes, fully caught up in the wrestling ring's fervor, were fixed on one particularly standout man in the center of the sand. Even among the quite large Barsha warriors, he was a tall young man who didn't fall short.
Owen of Delcros.
The chieftain's son and a fierce battlefield warrior, he was fundamentally different from Delcros warriors like the sun-ni.
Unlike the empire's cowards who wrapped themselves tightly in rigid iron plate armor like turtles, the youth traversed the battlefield freely in light armor.
Unlike the empire's greenhorns with their baby-like cropped hair, the youth galloped on horseback with long hair flowing like a Barsha warrior.
Even now, his bright copper hair, tightly bound, was adorned with several kingfisher feathers signifying his already splendid battle record.
“Can you believe that's a record built in just a few days? He's an excellent warrior! He never backs down, no matter the enemy!”
As promised, Owen's steadfast eyes, utterly fearless, met the gaze of the fierce-looking Barsha warrior who had just entered the sand ring.
And once more, a resounding shout echoed.
“I want to go hooome!”
With a powerful throw, last year's wrestling champion crashed gloriously to the ground.
Kwaaaang!
Wooooaaah!
Cheers poured solely toward him, fiercely shaking the cool beach air.
[Special Quest - Achieve at least 5 wins in the beach wrestling tournament! (Completed)]
[Quest Rank: B+]
[Overall Evaluation: You have effectively imprinted your strength on the entire Volanta tribe. This success has won the favor of the belligerent youths and some stubborn elders. This small achievement will serve as a cornerstone to solidify the alliance with Volanta going forward. You, who achieved a perfect sweep beyond 5 wins. Had it not been for that embarrassing battle cry, you undoubtedly would have earned a completion rank two grades higher. We award bonus cash with our regrets.]
[Completion Rank: B]
[Reward: 4000(+20)P Cash]
[*This item can be used in the Pangea Chronicle shop window.]
Rarely giving a bonus, but what's with skimping on just 20 cash.
He thought that while pursing his lips, but Owen didn't dare voice it. That damn system had once cut rewards by 50% out of spite.
[Main Stream 2 - (Progress 19%)]
Still, thanks to this quest, the overall progress had risen quite a bit.
As he wiped sweat with a sigh, his friend Chikudanka approached him.
“You were splendid today, Owen.”
“Well, it's all thanks to you properly teaching me the wrestling style beforehand.”
Owen replied with a grin.
As he turned toward Chikudanka, the sole crimson gem hanging around his bare neck from wrestling gleamed brightly.
Chikudanka's eyes lit up at the sight.
“Is that stone some protective talisman for you? You always wear it.”
“Ah, this?”
Owen lifted the necklace and smiled.
“Pretty cool, right? I heard my godfather gave it to me as a gift on the day I was born.”
“Delcros's chieftain? Then it's no ordinary item, indeed. No wonder you always carry it.”
Chikudanka nodded.
“By the way, I'm curious about something. What's that chant you shout every time?”
“...Haha.”
Owen scratched his cheek with an awkward laugh.
“That? It's the Delcros victory chant. Very effective.”
Yes. At least for Owen, it was an invincible battle cry.
He missed the Holy Emperor and his siblings so much that now even that wastrel Mores's face was starting to feel nostalgic.
“Anyway, the warriors are all gathering already. Since we caught the chieftain's ram today, rest up a bit and join the feast.”
Chikudanka patted his shoulder and turned away.
Owen lightly waved back, then checked the small window persistently floating in his right field of vision with a somewhat downcast face.
[Main Stream 1 - Guard the southern front! (Completed)]
[Main Stream 2 - Form an alliance with the Volanta tribe! (Progress 19%)]
Yes. Honestly, quest completion aside, Owen really wanted to return to Delcros.
But this was the system's viciousness. It sneakily revealed later quests that Owen couldn't ignore.
[Main Stream 3 - Rescue the Hol□!]
[Main Stream 4 - Rescue the Hol□!]
[Main Stream 5 - Defeat the □□□ □□!]
Only an idiot wouldn't realize what those blanks referred to. Clearly the Holy Emperor, or the Saintess.
And surely there wouldn't be two quests to rescue one person.
Meaning, the longer Owen delayed, the greater the danger to both the Holy Emperor and Saintess.
How could he return to Delcros with peace of mind!
“Damn it! I miss Sisley! I miss the kids! I miss Father! I want to go hooome!”
Under the starry beach sky threatening to pour down, a young man's sorrowful cry for not being able to return echoed long.