Chapter 380: The Die(3)
Chapter 380: The Die(3)
I’ve uploaded Lina’s illustration! She looks so beautiful!
*
As a princess of the Minerva Empire, Lina had grown up weathering many turbulent events.
From a young age, she was taught the conduct, etiquette, and facial composure expected of royalty, and she had opened her eyes to politics early on.
She had become so politically astute that it once soured her relationship with Mari, but that had been resolved for some time now, so it wasn't a major concern.
If she had to pick her most memorable experience to date, it would likely be the time she was attacked by a demonized member of the Demon Clan while out on an excursion.
Even though it was a safe area and a path she traveled frequently, the suddenness of the ambush left her with deep trauma.
Because of that trauma, she developed the habit of always scanning her surroundings and checking for safety, which was also why she had become so rational in everything she did.
Thinking back on it now, she suspected that demon might have been the work of Demon Worshippers. At the time, public perception of the Demon Clan had hit rock bottom.
Everything changed after the appearance of the Xenon Chronicle, but her duties as a princess only continued to pile up day by day.
Lately, the events Isaac had set in motion were giving her a headache, but it was a problem that could be solved in time. The only issue was that it would take quite a while.
The most pressing concern was the underground temple. Although there were clear traces of a ritual being performed, they hadn't been able to find a single clue as to who or what had been summoned.
Or rather, they hadn't been able to.
'The one who was summoned... was Isaac...?'
Lina stared at the young man before her, her mouth hanging open. Tea trickled from her lips, soaking her dress, but she was in no state to care.
The young man smiling awkwardly was Isaac Ducard Maishal.
He was the author of the Xenon Chronicle, regarded as either a prophet or a regressor, and was currently revered as a Saint who had saved the world.
That didn't mean his talent as a writer was lacking in any way. Even before the Xenon Chronicle was treated as a book of prophecy, it had already caused a global sensation.
Furthermore, his prose was so excellent that people said he had advanced the field of literature by several stages.
The Xenon Chronicle was an easy read for everyone, regardless of age, gender, or social status. In fact, the number of freshmen in the Literature Department at Halo Academy had nearly tripled compared to last year.
'Then all that knowledge was...?'
The Xenon Chronicle was a novel so sophisticated and historically accurate that people said it had created another world.
In truth, there were many novels besides the Xenon Chronicle that created worlds. Even legends or fairy tales were, in a sense, the creation of another world.
But the Xenon Chronicle was on a different level. It possessed a vividness that made one feel as if they were actually there, not to mention the heart-wrenching masterpieces of scenes.
Above all, there was the appearance of the 'steam locomotive,' something that was hard to attribute to mere imagination.
Was that really a story that could come from the mind of one person—and a young man not even twenty years old at that? Absolutely not.
It was pointless to argue whether it was possible or impossible. At least in Lina's eyes, it was 'absolutely' impossible.
"Um... Lina?"
"Wh-what?"
Lost in thought, Lina snapped back to reality at Isaac's call. Looking down, she saw him holding out a handkerchief.
Lina looked back and forth between the awkwardly smiling Isaac and the handkerchief before taking it cautiously. Her hands were trembling from the sheer shock.
"Ariel?"
"Mmm?"
"Daddy has something to talk about with his friend for a moment. Do you want to go bask in the sun?"
"Yaaaawn... Otay."
Isaac made the request to Ariel while Lina wiped her dress. Fortunately, having just woken up, Ariel yawned and waddled over to the bed.
She then hopped onto the bed with a burst of energy and fell back asleep in the sunlight, just as she had before. The sprout on her head tilted toward the window to soak up more sun.
Once the situation had settled, Isaac looked back at Lina.
She was so shaken that the hand wiping her dress was trembling like an aspen leaf.
"Phew..."
Eventually, Lina, having roughly cleaned her soiled dress, placed the handkerchief on the table and let out a long breath.
The stain was unavoidable, but having wiped it away, the discomfort had mostly vanished.
Lina patted her chest to calm her racing heart.
However, with her mind racing with thoughts, her heart showed no signs of settling down.
In the end, she had no choice but to remain as she was. She had already shown him her most unseemly side; there was no point in trying to hide anything now.
Steeling her resolve, Lina lifted her head and looked Isaac straight in the eye.
His golden eyes were as beautiful as ever, but they were deeply tinged with awkwardness.
"Are you feeling a bit calmer now?"
"...Yes."
At Isaac's question, Lina nodded and habitually reached for her teacup.
But realizing it was empty after her earlier display, she immediately pulled her hand back.
She had met countless people in social circles and heard shocking news before, but this was the first time she had been so unable to maintain her composure.
"...Is what I just heard true?"
It was a question that condensed all her emotions and thoughts. Her trembling voice carried a complex mix of feelings.
Isaac gave a bitter smile and nodded reluctantly. He hadn't intended to reveal it, but Ariel had been an unexpected variable.
Of course, he could have denied it to the end if he really wanted to. But Lina was no fool.
She was likely fitting the puzzle pieces together in her head right now.
'I knew it... Nothing else explains it. The reason he could insist until the end that he wasn't a prophet or a person from the future was because this is the truth. But he really came from another world? Like a demon living in another dimension?'
And just as he expected, Lina was untangling the knotted threads one by one.
Everything she had suspected until now clicked into place like a puzzle, organizing itself in her mind.
Isaac's egalitarian mindset was something she could overlook. Even Mari hardly had an authoritarian bone in her body.
Though she didn't spend as much time by Isaac's side as the other women, Lina prided herself on her powers of observation.
'If he came from another world, everything makes sense. There are just two things that bother me...'
What kind of world did he come from? And how did he realize he was a being from another dimension?
Did he really cross over from the dimension where demons live, or did he come from a world she knew nothing about?
Above all, she wondered if this young man was truly Isaac Ducard Maishal.
A handsome young man born and raised in the Maishal family, possessing the family's signature red hair and golden eyes.
From a biological standpoint, Isaac was clearly the biological son of Hawk Ducard Maishal and Anna Ducard Maishal.
However, she couldn't tell if the soul residing within him was the original Isaac or a soul that had crossed over from another dimension.
"...I won't ask you to prove it. But I have a few questions. Would that be alright?"
"Go ahead. Now that I've been caught, refusing would only breed more suspicion."
"How many people in total know this truth?"
"Cecile and Arwen. And now you. Three in total."
Lina nodded at his answer. It was a bit surprising that even Mari didn't know, but given her personality, it was understandable.
Mari was a woman who would truly love Isaac regardless of his true identity. She was a case of falling for the person himself.
Isaac likely didn't feel the need to tell her. Things were already a headache with everyone calling him a regressor; it would only have become more complicated.
"Then do they also know that you crossed over from another dimension because of the Demon Worshippers' summoning?"
"No. They don't."
"They don't... Then I'll ask one important question. You'll answer it, right?"
"I've already been caught, so why not? But if my father or Sister Adele shows up, I'm stopping immediately."
That was fine. This was a secret that could potentially sway the entire world, so it had to be handled with caution.
In fact, even talking in such an open place was very dangerous. But her surging curiosity made her impatient.
Lina took another deep breath, looked Isaac straight in the eye, and spoke.
"How... do you know that?"
"The fact that I crossed over from another dimension?"
"No. The fact that you crossed over because of the Demon Worshippers' summoning ritual. How did you realize that?"
It was a fairly profound question, but Isaac answered as if it were nothing.
"Lord Luminous told me."
"L-Lord Luminous?"
"Yes. He said the Demon Worshippers' summoning ritual failed, and my soul crossed over from that side. It's likely the ritual you mentioned."
Isaac said this as he picked up a cookie and popped it into his mouth. Lina stared at him blankly as he crunched on the cookie.
Since Luminous himself had vouched for it, there was no room for doubt, but frankly, it was absurd.
Indeed, there were traces in the temple that someone had interfered with the ritual. Because of that, Isaac's soul had ended up crossing over to this side.
'And then the Xenon Chronicle was published...'
And the Demon Worshippers were being completely eradicated. It was a case of reaping what they sowed, of being hoisted by their own petard.
They had certainly tried to summon a demon. But what happened?
Instead of a demon, Isaac—who was slaughtering every Demon Worshipper in sight—was summoned. A gamble of the century had turned into the worst possible move.
What were the odds of such a thing happening? If the Demon Worshippers ever found out, they wouldn't just be upset; they'd probably faint from the shock.
"I-I see. Do Cecile and Queen Arwen know that too?"
"No. They really think I came from the future. It's probably better to hear it from them directly. They have a rather complicated way of thinking about it."
"I understand. Come to think of it, you're also a victim of the Demon Worshippers, aren't you? You died so suddenly."
"There's that, but I don't have many regrets."
He didn't have many regrets. Just what kind of life had he lived in that world to be able to react so nonchalantly?
With that one answer, the way Lina looked at Isaac changed. She saw him as someone who had lived a life that was anything but ordinary, much like his life now.
Isaac's past life could be called tragic, but not to the extent she was imagining.
Losing his parents in an accident was certainly a tragic event for any person, but there were plenty of people who had it worse.
Lina looked at Isaac with pitying eyes before moving on to another question.
"Then your soul is Isaac Ducard Maishal, right? You didn't just jump in halfway through?"
"Do you want me to describe the feeling of not being able to control my own bowels as a baby? I can describe it vividly. I still haven't forgotten. I don't remember being a newborn, but things are clear from when I was three."
"Sorry."
As expected, a second life was extraordinary from childhood. That was Lina's assessment.
Now that she knew the circumstances of how Isaac had come to this side, the most important question regarding the current topic remained.
Perhaps the answer to this one question would clearly reveal what kind of being Isaac was.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
As she prepared to ask, her heart began to race violently again. Lina hurriedly patted her chest to calm herself.
After steadying her breathing, she slowly opened her closed eyes and looked at Isaac.
He looked somewhat relieved, as if he were ready to accept her questions at any time.
Lina moistened her pink lips and asked in a voice laced with both caution and curiosity.
"Then... Isaac."
"Yes."
"What kind of world... did you live in before you came here?"
This one question would likely reveal how Isaac was able to write the Xenon Chronicle.
What kind of world would one have to live in to possess such imagination? And what kind of life would one have to lead?
Humans fear the unknown, but at the same time, they are curious about it. That is one of the reasons humanity is able to progress.
And what Lina wanted was on a different level. It was the story of someone who had lived in another dimension.
"Before I tell you, I want you to know this. Unlike what you might think, I was just a very ordinary person in that world. I didn't have high authority like you; I was more like a commoner. I don't have the ability to build the steam locomotives described in the Xenon Chronicle. I'm just a writer you could find anywhere."
It was the same disclaimer he had given others. As he said, Isaac kept in mind that he was far from a genius.
Just a writer who was decent at writing and liked history. But even then, he wasn't at the top of his field.
He was like a pebble rolling on the side of the road, not a threat to the world.
"It doesn't matter. You're important, but what kind of world you lived in is also important."
"Why?"
"You said you were ordinary, right? If a world where Xenon is considered ordinary exists, would that world really be ordinary from our perspective?"
"..."
Isaac was convinced by Lina's persuasive words. Indeed, from the perspective of this world, it couldn't help but feel that way.
Then how should he explain it? Isaac pondered over and over.
The Earth he lived on was far more advanced than this world, both culturally and scientifically.
However, on Earth, there was no magic, let alone mana. There weren't even monsters that threatened humanity.
Explaining all of this one by one felt a bit overwhelming. Moreover, there was no way Lina would be able to understand it all.
'Ah. This should work.'
If he organized it well, it would make for a good answer. He then spoke to the tense Lina.
"It might sound a bit strange to you. The world I lived in only had humans."
"Humans... what? Only humans?"
"Yes. No Beastkin, Elves, Dwarves, Demons, Angels, or even monsters. There's no mana or magic, and the existence of gods isn't clear. Because their existence isn't clear, there's no Divine Power either. Only humans, the vast expanse of nature, and the animals and plants that live there. That's all there is."
Lina's reaction to Isaac's answer was quite a sight.
"...What kind of world is that? It sounds incredibly boring. And can you even progress with only humans? Can humans build a civilization all by themselves without Elves?"
She wore an expression that said, What kind of bizarre story is that? and Don't lie to me.
From the perspective of a resident of this world, it would certainly feel that way. Isaac could fully understand her feelings.
"Do humans there live longer than a hundred years? Like Elves who live to be a thousand?"
"No. In the distant past, it was hard to even pass fifty. Even when I was living there, it was rare to live past a hundred."
"Then how... No matter how much I think about it, I don't understand. Just what kind of world..."
"Well. If I had to explain it... Lina."
"Yes?"
"Lina, what do you think of the sky?"
Isaac suddenly asked about the sky. Lina frowned for a moment but remembered that the one asking was Isaac.
He never asked pointless questions in a situation like this. There had to be an intention.
She thought for a long while before speaking based on what she knew.
"It's the place where the gods reside, and a region where only the chosen can swim. That's why angels have wings, isn't it?"
"Right. And what else?"
"From a religious perspective, all life is born from the earth and ascends to the sky when it dies."
"Hmm. I see what you think."
A typical ancient mindset. But someone like Lina was the norm and the standard.
Isaac organized his thoughts for a moment before speaking to Lina in a tone that sounded almost like he was reciting poetry.
"A place where humans fly into the sky using their own creations."
"...What?"
"A place where humans can sail across the vast ocean without any wind, using their own creations."
"..."
"A place where humans can talk to people all over the world using their own creations. And..."
Isaac paused for a moment before continuing slowly.
"A place where humans can destroy the world using their own creations."
These were stories related to airplanes, ships, the internet, and finally, nuclear bombs.
Explaining each one in detail wouldn't really resonate with her and would be hard to understand, so he explained it that way.
Isaac looked at Lina, who seemed somewhat dazed, and finished with a smile.
"That's the kind of world it is at its core. What do you think?"
Lina's reaction to that was...
"Pfft. Don't make me laugh."
Unexpectedly.
"Where could such an impossible world exist? Humans doing all that?"
She displayed a strong denial rooted in her very race.
