[The Transcendent]
Transcendent. Beings who have surpassed the limits of humanity, becoming stars because they can no longer exist within the mortal realm. You can think of them as what are commonly called gods. Or, it is akin to Ascension in martial arts novels. The process of becoming an immortal. And I have become a being equal to a Transcendent.
However, I am not a Transcendent. Even though I have reached the realm of transcendence, I am not a Transcendent. To put it simply, it is like being at the level of a Master, but not being a Sword Master.
“Heh… I finally made it this far.”
To abandon the mortal realm and leave… and leave behind such an interesting world? That won't do. Rebellion against heaven. That is the reason I defied fate. The sky, the stars, they reject me. They are telling me to stay only in the mortal realm. And since a Transcendent obviously cannot remain in the mortal realm, they seal my power.
[Will of the World]
I felt the will of this world sealing my power. I did not resist. It was only natural.
However. When the Causality Potion eventually falls into my hands, I will unleash the power of a god within this mortal realm.
“Now… shall we go get something to eat?”
*Hiccup*… I thought Elessia had the hiccups, but that wasn't it. Radion and Dierban. It was them. Having already reached the limits of humanity, what they felt from me was… overwhelming terror. Seeing them unable to even breathe properly, I realized it only then. Even though my power was sealed, because I was excited, my aura had been leaking out bit by bit. I hurriedly withdrew my aura, and only then could they breathe.
“Kuh-huck… kuh-huck…”
“Huk… huck….”
The reason Radion and Dierban were able to hiccup was because they had reached the limits of humanity. They were capable of the most trivial of resistances. But the others were not. They couldn't make a sound. They couldn't move. They couldn't even breathe.
“Man, my apologies… I got a bit too carried away, didn't I?”
“Huk… huk… Kahan. How about the Ermadine Kingdom? Isn't the north of the Empire cold?”
“Dier… ban!”
Dierban, who had reached the Master realm, was now only slightly short of breath and recovered in an instant. However, Radion, who was still at the peak of the Expert rank, was not. Of course, Dierban’s point was also valid.
“It’s a shame, but our Estellia is the daughter of a ducal family in the Arkadium Empire, you see.”
“…Is that so? However. Please keep in mind that Ermadine is always open to you. I say this sincerely as a diplomatic envoy authorized by the King.”
Now that I look at him… the guy seems to have come even to poach talent for another country. Certainly. As a Count and a Bow Master, there must be many who follow him. A Master is that kind of existence. An existence that any martial artist who reveres the path of combat dreams of becoming.
“Understood. Well then, shall we get going?”
Still, I managed to stall for time well. This should be enough of a warning.
“Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah—!”
Pshhhhhhh…
“Huk… kuh-huck… kgh…”
It’s hard to even breathe. What on earth… what kind of existence is that!
“Belferno-nim… there was a mad monster attached to the sacrifice you designated… *keke*…”
He was Belferno’s right-hand man. He had thought it an excessive measure to make up for his previous mistake… but as expected, it was worthy of Belferno, the devil of violence he served. If it had been a normal devil, he would have died instantly. No. His very existence would have been erased.
“To think a being with divinity could exist in the mortal realm… *keke*…”
Divinity. An aura that only Transcendents and gods can possess. What human priests use? That is divine power, not divinity. The divine power used by humans does not work on him, a Great Devil who has lived for thousands of years. However. Look at his body. Half. Exactly half of it is gone. The only reason he can still survive is because he is a Great Devil.
“Thirty minutes left, then…”
The monster’s divinity was being transferred to his remaining half-body. He had no regrets about his remaining life. The only problem was whether he could convey this fact to Belferno, whom he served. That was his only worry.
Whoosh…
“Huk… what on earth is this!”
“You came just in time. Take me to Belferno-nim. Right now.”
“Yes!”
Belferno, who had sensed his abnormality, had sent his personal guard. Devils who moved only for Belferno. They could not hide their trembling pupils upon seeing Belzes’s state. All of them were beings who had earned the title of Great Devil. Realizing that he didn't have much time left, they transported him to the Devil’s Castle with the utmost respect. It was a testament to how much Belferno and his guard trusted and cherished him.
Thud.
“…What a state you are in, Belzes.”
“*Keke*… it is because I am old. By the way, Belferno-nim. How about changing the sacrifice?”
“What do you mean?”
Change the sacrifice. It meant to postpone the great undertaking. No matter if it was Belzer, his close aide who had been with Belferno since the Great War of Man and Demon, it was an extremely rude thing to say. It was enough to have his head blown off right there. However. Belferno was not such an ignorant person.
“Kahan… his name is Kahan. One who has transcended but remains in the mortal realm. He is protecting the sacrifice.”
“I understand. However, I will not change the sacrifice. I cannot postpone this any longer. That is the will of the world.”
Belferno. One of the twelve great devils, he too was a being who understood the essence of this world. This world… and fate were urging him on. When those he sent to retrieve the sacrifice last time were defeated, he could tell. That this world was going awry. That was why he had sent Belzer, but…
Slink.
With Belferno’s answer, Belzer closed his eyes. Watching this quietly, Belferno grabbed Belzer.
Crunch… crunch… chomp… gulp.
“Belzer. My son. I will not forget your sacrifice.”
“Kha… that was delicious!”
Luka patted her stomach as if she were full. Perhaps because her stomach was large, her upper belly was bulging.
“Goodness, how many months are you?”
“I don’t have a baby yet?”
“You’re not playing along with the joke.”
Since we were done eating, the kids all went to the dormitory because they were tired. Luka also went to the dormitory, perhaps feeling the food coma. As for me, the heat from earlier hadn't cooled down, so I wasn't sleepy yet. Just as I was wondering what to do, Eileen approached me.
“What is it? Didn’t you go to the dormitory?”
“Let’s talk for a moment.”
“Hmm… alright.”
I followed her and moved to the place where we had studied last time. I attached a Sound-Sealing Talisman inside the room and sat in a chair.
“That thing earlier… what was it?”
“That? Transcendence.”
“…Transcendence?”
Knowing the original work doesn't mean you know everything. And things about the stars and about sorcery. Transcendence is not something just anyone can know. Looking at Eileen closely… I felt it was alright to tell her.
“What supports this world can be called Causality and Fate.”
“Causality…? Fate…?”
I told Eileen. That causality is the power that constitutes the world and the reason why gods cannot descend into the mortal realm. To be precise, I explained that it’s like how a dragon cannot suddenly destroy the human world, and she understood it well.
“And you know about fate, right? Because this world is a romance fantasy.”
“Yeah. I know that much. Then what on earth is transcendence?”
The concept of a Transcendent is known only to a few sorcerers. Those few sorcerers are, of course, Grand Sorcerers. They read the flow of the world. In other words, they read the heavenly secrets. A sorcerer is a being who entrusts the flow to the heavens and floats. In other words, they are beings who entrust everything to the Transcendents and then represent their will. A medium to bring their will down to the mortal realm while ignoring Causality. That is exactly what a sorcerer is.
“A Transcendent is a being of the heavens. They cannot be in this world. But the reason I am here is because I am one who has committed Rebellion against heaven.”
They say the end of one who has committed rebellion against heaven is miserable. Even I, a being who represents the will of the heavens, have defied the heavens, so it is only natural that the stars are angry. But they did not abandon me. To be precise, they cannot abandon me. Because to them, I am an absolutely necessary existence. Of course, except for the nine stars that love me, the other stars absolutely loathe me. Loathe.
“So… you’re no longer human. You’re like a dragon. But the heavens… well, since Transcendents or gods hate you, they keep you from coming up at all. Even sealing your power.”
“Exactly!”
“Then why did you transcend?”
“Obviously… because I can. And it’s not that I can’t use my power at all. If I have the Causality Potion made by the witch, I can use my power.”
At my words, Eileen said with an excited look.
“Really?! Then how many do you have!”
“I don’t have any?”
Eileen sat back down in the chair, looking dejected. Well, the Causality Potion is really expensive… calling it that is an understatement. Because you have to be really lucky to get it. I don’t even know how the witch makes the Causality Potion. But I do know the fact that she doesn’t give it away easily because it’s really hard to make. That’s why I was really surprised when Pinya brought it. Because if she hadn’t been able to get it, I would have just thought I couldn’t transcend.
“Now, that’s enough talk.”
“Wait. What about the original work? Isn’t the flow getting too distorted?”
I smirked.
“What does the original work matter? Are you perhaps worried about that? Like, all the advantages of being a transmigrator disappearing… something like that.”
“Isn’t that obvious?”
Eileen looked dumbfounded. She was right. Knowing the future and not using that information? That would be idiotic. But as I said before, I am someone who dislikes fate.
“I’m not… sorry, actually. Hmm. Eileen. Let me be clear: I have no intention of following the original work. I don’t even know the original work. I was just someone who saw advertisements while passing by.”
“Bu-but!”
“Stop. I have the power to overturn the original work. I could destroy this world right now. To tell me to live quietly with this power… that’s absurd.”
With that, I left the room. Eileen said something, but I didn’t listen because it was a bother. In the end, she gave up and sat still, starting to think.
“Phew… this is fun.”
You only live once. Or is it twice? In my first life, I lived like a cog in a machine, so isn’t it fine to live a little differently now? What if the heavens hate me? If I hadn’t been prepared for that much, I wouldn’t have saved Luka. Fate is nothing more than a blueprint of the world. If you think the blueprint is wrong, can’t you just fix it? Just fix it and fix it again. That’s how you live. And these are my convictions. The moment these waver, everything I am will crumble.
“Hmm… now I’m finally getting sleepy.”
The stars are truly bright.