Chapter 831
Chapter 831
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 831
Chapter Title: Diagnosis (4)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Siu gripped the wheel again after leaving the forest path.
He decided to play it off as nothing serious for now, not wanting to worry them unnecessarily.
After all, stopping by the Soul Witch's mansion in the first place had been a precautionary health check, and their real goal was finding the prophecy institution anyway.
"Siu."
"Yes."
Amelia suddenly poked her head forward from the back seat.
"Is it really nothing?"
Amelia wasn't paying much attention to her surroundings, but she grew sensitive whenever Siu was involved. It seemed she'd picked up on something.
"Yes, really."
"Okay."
Lying pricked at his conscience, but it was still better than causing needless worry.
Besides, it wasn't an immediate crisis.
They'd blocked any chance of it worsening if left alone.
On the contrary, the loss of sensation in his left arm had allowed for an early checkup and greater vigilance. Living carelessly could have led to him unwittingly surrendering his body to his unconscious self.
In that sense, Amelia had saved him once again.
"Hmm..."
He'd already declared he wouldn't take on more lovers, and he fully intended to stick to that.
His current power already placed him in the top 1% of witch society, with plenty of room for further growth.
Yet there were still many concerns weighing on him.
From Lucy Yesod to Diana Yesod—the issue of succession using Siu.
Likewise, Odil and Odet's succession, with their major mother-in-law still lukewarm on the matter.
And strangely, Amelia's case, where mana amplification and brand replication simply weren't happening.
Even these alone gave him plenty to ponder.
According to Gretel's prophecy of his limits, he had only one brand replication left.
No matter what he chose, it spelled trouble.
Since he'd already received magic from their minor mother-in-law, would replication not occur even if Odil and Odet became full witches?
What was the reason amplification and replication weren't working with Amelia?
To find answers to these questions, cooperating with Gretel seemed inevitable.
"By the way, Master, is this the right road?"
"Yes."
Having heard Siu's situation, Master wore a persistently gloomy expression.
She was trying not to let on, since they'd agreed to keep it secret from the other lovers, but it clearly wasn't easy.
No surprise there—Siu would crumble too if he learned Master was under a conditional time limit.
"But how exactly do we get to the prophecy institution?"
He asked lightly, hoping to lighten the mood.
Three hours had passed since they'd set off in the jeep.
They'd heard one of the 'corridors' linked to the prophecy institution was in this national park, but he had no idea where.
All he saw was barren landscape and snow-capped bald mountains everywhere.
"We're almost there—looks like we've arrived."
The moment they crested a ridge of skeletal, frozen mountains, a basin surrounded by peaks came into view.
A vast lake filled it, dotted with around fifty log cabins forming a village.
"A village of numerology witches who study prophecy. Notaricon."
2.
The group parked the jeep in a suitable spot and walked into the village.
Truth be told, it was so small it barely qualified as a village.
Even the larger log cabins were mere huts, hardly worthy of the term mansion.
The paths branching off looked no different from natural animal trails worn by frequent passage.
These were witches who all lived lavish lives to varying degrees.
Yet the village was so austere and quiet, you could believe it was home to ascetic monks.
No sign of a single witch's hat anywhere.
There was a sense of presence, but despite visitors arriving from outside, no one opened a window or emerged from their homes.
As intriguing as that was, another curiosity arose: safety.
Even the Soul Witch, who lived somewhat isolated, had precautions against intruders.
But Notaricon showed no such signs.
With so many powerful witches here, you'd expect a substantial presence if outsiders arrived—yet they all stayed barricaded inside.
Dorothy explained to the puzzled Siu.
"This is a neutral zone. Exiles, criminals, even Gehenna witches—combat is forbidden."
"Does that actually work?"
Exiles aside, would criminals follow such rules?
Some were outlaws who even murdered apprentice witches, taboo in witch society.
"Without these folks, even useful prophecies can't be deciphered occasionally."
"And they can't get prophecies about apprentices. The Oracle Witch won't grant them to witches who harm numerologists," Master added.
In other words, the village was valuable even to exiles and criminals, protected by an enormous penalty.
No criminal could ignore that forever—they needed succession eventually, and without prophecies, they'd stagnate eternally.
"This way."
Everyone except Eloa—who'd already received an apprentice designation here—was visiting for the first time.
Master naturally took the lead.
As Siu gripped her hand in needless worry, she whispered with a smile, "It's fine."
It didn't feel like a lie.
She seemed to have found some answers on this trip—truly fortunate.
As they neared the lakeshore, which took up half the basin, a large temple came into view.
Evoking ancient Rome, the temple was half-submerged in the sparkling blue lake.
In this weather, you'd expect it frozen solid, yet the air here was mildly warm.
Time's traces had turned to green moss, twining thickly around the temple pillars like vines.
"This is the corridor. Proceed ahead."
"Alone?"
"Only you can go."
Siu nodded at Master's explanation and stepped into the lake.
-Splash!
His body was sucked below the surface in an instant.
He was a bit startled.
The water was so clear and pristine it hadn't seemed deep, but inside, it plunged at least 30 meters.
"Oh."
Yet even after sinking fully submerged past his head for a while, breathing was no issue.
His body felt a little heavy, but he could still mutter to himself and hear it.
Magic's harmonies were always wondrous.
Submerged beneath the surface, Siu felt awe once more.
At the lake bottom, another small stream twisted like neural networks, flowing like a brook.
The faintly glowing golden and silver waters supplemented the dim depths.
Following it like a signpost to the temple's center, he stepped into the dark entrance.
"Huh?"
As if wandering a dreamlike haze, a new scene unfolded before him.
A vast lake stretching beyond sight.
A tower rising starkly at its center.
A sea of stars meeting the horizon.
Thick fog.
Exactly as he'd seen it when captured by the Golden Witch.
The resemblance was so perfect it felt off-putting.
"So this is the prophecy institution..."
Back then, the Oracle Witch had been hopping around in the lake's midst, dancing...
Now, she was nowhere—off on some outing, perhaps.
After giving him a 'dream revelation,' shouldn't that make him a special guest?
No sign of her even after waiting awhile, so he had no choice.
"Now I just enter the lake?"
Beneath the rippling lake surface.
Strange clusters of light wove long threads in a dance.
According to Master, these threads were encrypted fates.
Prophecies themselves, revealing cause and destiny only to the permitted.
-Splash
It was the moment he crouched and lightly dipped his hand in.
Once again, the scenery shifted completely.
A familiar place: the heart of Ars Magna Town, Gehenna's most beautiful building.
The Ivory Tower where Keter Duke resided.
Witches surrounded it.
Not just those lodging for a single lesson from Keter.
A crowd numbering as if all Gehenna's witches had gathered, all gazing at the Ivory Tower.
Murmurs rising in hushed waves of commotion.
Amid the buzz: ecstasy and despair, anticipation and tension, building to dizzying urgency.
They were all waiting.
For the birth of a new king.
Soon, the drapes around the tower's terrace were drawn back.
The one emerging, eyepatch removed, was none other than Shin Siu.
Clutching a red branch, looking down upon the witches—waves crashed as they knelt one by one.
"King of Witches."
Arrogant witches bowed their heads, their individual murmurs blending into a chant.
This prophecy felt chilling and repulsive for one reason.
The Shin Siu on that terrace wasn't him—he was certain.
No proof of when it would happen.
But it meant that even with the Soul Witch's aid, he ultimately couldn't overcome his unconscious.
As suffocation gripped him, the tangled film reel shifted scenes once more.
A pastoral meadow stirred by gentle breezes.
Picture-perfect scenery, with Siu cradling a swaddled infant.
Gazing down at the tiny, wriggling life that could barely open its eyes.
Not the emotionless Shin Siu from the unconscious void.
A tender smile played on his lips, full of adoration.
The infant already bore a 'vessel.'
Which meant...
"Apprentice witch?"
Front from back, no clue.
No hint of when.
The unkind prophecy ended there.
Opening his eyes, a witch approached within close range.
A girl no older than ten.
The Oracle Witch who'd greeted him in his dream.
Pure speculation, of course.
But Siu instinctively knew she'd lived since before the 'apprentice witch' system existed.
"I've been waiting for you."
The Oracle Witch said.
Her voice was like laughter or tears—you couldn't tell which.