Chapter 148
Chapter: 148
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 148
>Chapter Title: The Eve (3)
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>Sigurd Sigurson.
The dimensional storyteller who wanders a thousand dreams and speaks a thousand voices.
Long ago, he wrote a forbidden tome called the *Apocalypse of the Otherworld*, prophesying the fall of Delcross. More recently, he was the one who dragged in Seo Iseo, a human from the main world.
The goal he revealed had always been consistent from the start.
To become a great rule unto himself, a single grand story.
No one could even guess what that truly meant. Seongjin himself had once dreamed as a child of becoming a Tyrannosaurus, so he wasn't about to outright dismiss someone else's lofty aspiration just because it sounded absurd.
*Fine, whatever you want to be, go for it.*
But what?
This devoted father figure writes a story where he kills his own child with his own hands?
And shows it to a kid who hasn't even hit puberty yet?
"Haha, Sigurd Sigurson, you son of a bitch…!"
No matter what, this bastard—I’ll grind him to dust personally.
Seongjin was mentally jacking up the interest rate on this guy when suddenly the Demon King spoke up in a crawling voice.
[Calm down, Yi Seongjin. Why are you scaring the kids all of a sudden?]
*What?*
Lifting his head in bewilderment at the trembling man’s attitude, he saw Sisle clutching her teacup, her face oddly pale.
And then.
"Shaaaaah!"
Seo Iseo had retreated to a corner of the drawing room and was hissing like a maniac.
What the hell? What did I even do?
[Your face! Your face! You look like a broker ready to rip out organs any second!]
*…Huh?*
Only then did Seongjin realize his lips were twisted up in a snarl without him knowing.
Come to think of it, his junior back home always freaked out whenever he smiled, asking who he was planning to "pickle" this time.
He cleared his throat with a cough and slowly sipped his tea.
"Hoo…."
Good. Captain Bruno’s Melbourne brew.
It purified the mind.
After a brief pause like that.
*Clink.* Setting down his teacup, Seongjin asked Sisle,
"There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you. Sisle, why haven’t you told Father about this?"
"That’s…"
Sisle hesitated for a moment.
How could she explain that day?
The day the whole world seemed to shed a layer and change into something bizarre.
The day the person she’d once known better than anyone, the one she’d felt such deep affection for, suddenly felt terrifyingly alien and unfamiliar.
And the kind voice that had echoed in her mind.
-*That is his true nature. He ruthlessly cuts down anything he deems useless. Before long, you too will meet your end at his hands, just like the others.*
True to those words, the Holy Emperor in the prophetic dream had shown no hesitation in executing Sisle herself.
"I thought it was too dangerous, Brother. According to the chronicle, His Majesty has already been on the path of corruption for years."
"So you don’t trust Father?"
"I don’t think His Majesty truly wishes for my downfall. But if he’s already being manipulated by some evil force, I can’t completely rule out the chance he might harm me unintentionally."
Seongjin tilted his head.
"Why do you believe the dream so absolutely? The guy in your dream has to be that dimensional storyteller Seo Iseo mentioned, right?"
"Yes. I think it was him."
"You heard firsthand what he did to Seo Iseo. And yet you still believe your dream was a real prophecy? You don’t even suspect he orchestrated the whole thing?"
Sisle gave a wistful smile.
"It’s hard to explain. Brother, I can tell prophetic dreams apart from regular ones. That was definitely a true precognition I glimpsed with my own power, and everything has unfolded exactly like in Chronicle Volume 1 so far."
Ever since the saintess’s mark appeared on Sisle, the Holy Emperor had consistently opposed her becoming a saintess.
Just like the black villain in the novel who never acknowledged her as such.
"And think about it simply, Brother. If my prophecy is true, telling His Majesty changes nothing. And if it turns out to be wrong, there’s no need to worry him over something that won’t happen. He’d probably be heartbroken to hear I had such a dream."
That was it. No matter the reason, Sisle didn’t want to reveal such a wretched future to the Holy Emperor.
Even if she’d been afraid of him all this time, she still loved him deeply.
"Then why tell me now?"
"Because you’re the only one who can change the fated future, Brother."
Sisle caressed her teacup gingerly as she spoke.
"As I said earlier, everything followed Delcross Chronicle Volume 1 perfectly until recently. That’s when things started deviating—right at the beginning of Volume 2."
Gates that should have opened simultaneously across the capital months later popped up at odd timings.
A special monster task force was created, something that didn’t exist in the book.
And the protagonist, Seo Iseo, was discovered earlier than destined, becoming a saintess without undergoing the "Saintess’s Trial."
"And I realized the common thread in all these events."
Sisle’s gaze deepened as she looked at Seongjin.
"It’s you, Brother Mores. Everything is connected to you in some way."
"……"
The Delcross Chronicle did mention Prince Mores to some extent.
In Volume 1, he’s wounded by the Holy Emperor and Empress, leading him astray. In Volume 2, after a fever, he suddenly turns his life around, devoting himself to swordsmanship.
But the Prince Mores in the book fails to accumulate any aura for years despite his grueling efforts, for reasons unknown.
In his deep despair over fruitless toil, he meets the kind saintess Seo Iseo. She offers him warm comfort, and he falls deeply for her, becoming the tragic second male lead.
By Volume 3, the prince begins descending into madness over unrequited love, showing signs of becoming a second black.
*Seo Iseo said something like that too. Brother is the second black in the novel.*
But here’s the twist.
The real Mores that Sisle met had shot to strength the moment he awoke from his fever, earning whispers of being a hidden sword genius!
And amid the stories he’d twisted, Sisle learned truths absent from the chronicle.
That the reincarnation of Saint Grazia was nothing but a hollow sham.
That the Holy Emperor’s "audience blessing" ritual was actually a trap for Cadmos to seize people’s bodies.
She could no longer predict this story’s course.
Only one thing.
*It all depends on Brother Mores!*
It wasn’t unreasonable for Sisle to pin her hopes on him.
Meanwhile, Seongjin had a slightly different thought as he listened.
Flipping rapidly through the diary, he asked Sisle,
"But there’s nothing specific about Cadmos here. What was in the chronicle you read? Any mentions of him?"
"About the founding Holy Emperor?"
"Yeah."
Could Sigurd Sigurson and Cadmos be connected somehow?
It was a natural question for Seongjin.
Sisle’s dreams of the Delcross Chronicle had begun right when the saintess’s mark appeared on her. The timing was too perfect.
"Nothing except when Seo Iseo received her blessing. Why?"
"What if Cadmos is behind all this?"
Suddenly, a heavy voice boomed in both their minds.
[Listening to this, it’s utterly absurd. I merely tried to protect my descendants from being swayed by evil schemes, and now what? Groundless accusations!]
Turning, they saw Seo Iseo—having returned to the tea table—munching on cookies, staring at them.
Those golden-glowing eyes.
"…Cadmos?"
Seo Iseo—no, Cadmos—scrunched his face in fury.
[You impudent fool! Where did you sell your manners?!]
"Uh, Ancestor?"
[I told you not to call me that casually! You corrupt wretch!]
What the hell am I supposed to do?
"Anyway, perfect timing since you’re here. So, answer me, Cadmos. Did you conspire with Sigurd Sigurson to harm Sisle?"
Cadmos exploded.
[What? Conspire? You’ve got some nerve! Why the hell would I do that?!]
"You tried to possess her under the guise of a blessing, didn’t you?"
[Exactly! Why would I harm the child who’s to be my new vessel? She’ll offer everything to me!]
"……"
[……. ]
Having blurted out his own intentions, Cadmos sighed under Sisle’s subtle gaze of contempt.
[I know of the dimensional storyteller, but honestly. I only marked her to stop him from messing with my descendant’s dreams with his petty tricks. Why are you pinning this on me out of nowhere?]
"You’re stealing healthy people’s bodies, and the chronicle hides it completely. Usually, the one with the dirtiest secrets is the culprit."
[Such vulgar speech!]
Cadmos clicked his tongue and picked up a pastry.
[What do you expect from this fool, my descendant? Why not entrust everything to me now and rest in peace?]
This lunatic!
As Seongjin bristled to snap back, Sisle calmly shook her head, unfazed.
"The scriptures call stopgap measures the sweetest whisper of the devil. I know who can truly help me."
[……. ]
With her usual impassive face, Sisle dealt a brutal blow to her ancestor—calling him a devil—then turned to Seongjin.
"Not long ago, Sister Amelia and Brother Logan said that if I had worries, I should talk to you, Brother Mores. That you always know the right answer."
"Sis and Logan?"
That was unexpected.
"Yes. So, please help me, Brother."
Her gray eyes, filled with desperation, fixed solely on Seongjin’s face.
"I don’t want to die like that."
"……."
She tried to sound composed, but the girl’s voice trembled faintly with fear.
Sisle, who had read about her own death for years.
The mental torment this little girl had endured was hard for even Seongjin to imagine.
Resting his chin in thought for a moment, Seongjin soon nodded and spoke.
"Hm. How about this?"
* * *
That evening, Dasha visited the Pearl Palace as usual and widened her eyes at the unexpected sight.
Prince Mores, perched on the bed waiting for her, was radiating an intense aura unlike his usual self.
He wore the black night clothes she’d prepared earlier impeccably, with a nutcracker dagger at his waist.
And the atmosphere around him—highly charged yet calmly contained.
The air density had thickened so much it caused slight breathing difficulty.
"…Your Highness?"
"I’ve been waiting, Dasha."
The prince rose from his seat in that state and said,
"Given the location, I’ll need an expert’s help for a perfect infiltration."
"Pardon?"
As she panicked at his strangely unfamiliar demeanor, the prince strode toward the terrace.
"Come on, let’s go."
"Wait, Your Highness! At this hour, where are you—!"
He hopped lightly over the terrace railing and tossed back,
"Scarpino Mansion."