The Judge of Prophecy (6) - Episode 52: Ciela Teraport's <em>Shamash Prophecy</em> Magic System
The Shamash Prophecy—Ciela Teraport's creation—greeted the guests it had already anticipated.
[Welcome.]
"My master... and Seong Hyun-jin."
"You're not even calling me a guest anymore?"
Seong Hyun-jin remarked with a hint of exasperation, and Ciela let out a small sigh.
"...Shamash, why did you go and do something like this on your own?"
Stepping forward, Ciela sharply rebuked the Shamash Prophecy.
"I never wanted this, never asked for it! And I certainly didn't want you disguising my doll as a junior and causing trouble for them!"
[It was the path for your sake, Master.]
"That's not a path for my sake!"
Ciela flatly denied the Shamash Prophecy's excuse, pointing out the problem with its actions.
"What you're doing right now goes against the principles."
[It doesn't. I acted in accordance with Article 1 of the magic system principles.]
"Because of your actions, I was misunderstood, and I could have gotten hurt from it... You, a prophecy magic, didn't know that?"
Ciela spoke coldly.
"If you peeked into my future enough to pull something like this, there's no way you didn't know I'd be misunderstood over it. You've already violated the first principle."
[You're right, my Master.]
As if to make Ciela's argument pointless, the Shamash Prophecy affirmed it all too easily.
[By using your doll to act, you'll be misunderstood, Master. You'll be a little hurt by it.]
"Then, like I said, you've violated the principles."
[But Master, I haven't violated them.]
"What...?"
Ciela looked puzzled at the nonsense, but the Shamash Prophecy replied flatly.
[It's because you don't know what lies ahead for you, my Master.]
"What are you even talking about...?"
[I've seen it. You'll keep getting hurt alone, get hurt by that man too... and end up trapped in your own world.]
The Shamash Prophecy continued.
[I couldn't just watch you waste away like that, locking yourself in your workshop for decades alone.]
"......"
[That's why I've never violated the clause about the creator's well-being. I'm acting this way precisely for your sake. This little hurt now is nothing compared to what you'll face ahead.]
There was no way the Shamash Prophecy's words were lies. Magic systems weren't human—they didn't know how to lie.
"...Just what is my junior going to do to me that you're going this far?"
[Do you really want to know?]
Ciela pondered the question for a moment. Just then, Seong Hyun-jin, standing beside her, spoke up.
"I'm going to hurt Ciela senior?"
[Correct.]
"Well... yeah, living with people, stuff like that happens sometimes. Like that time in the dean's office when I showed senior something unsightly."
"...So you were aware it was unsightly, junior?"
Ciela was a bit surprised that Seong Hyun-jin had realized it. Ignoring her surprise at the odd part, Seong Hyun-jin continued talking to the Shamash Prophecy.
"But still, prophecies don't show fixed futures, right? They can change based on actions. Am I wrong?"
[That's true, but even accounting for variables, the fact that you hurt my Master never changed once.]
"In every scenario, Ciela senior ends up broken?"
When Seong Hyun-jin pointed that out, the Shamash Prophecy answered simply.
[Of course, holing up in the workshop was the worst case. But in other calculations, you still suffer significant wounds and live a far more isolated life than now—that never changed.]
"So she gets hurt no matter what, huh."
[Correct.]
"Then I just need to be more careful."
[Why... why would you do that? You're just an outsider. There's no guarantee or obligation for you to care about my Master.]
"Simple reason. Even if she's not mine, I want to get along well with Ciela senior."
Ciela looked at him with slightly widened eyes in surprise.
"Oh, and senior master told me to take good care of you."
"...That was what she meant? You surprised me."
"What did you think she meant...?"
"......"
Ciela turned her head away sharply, unable to answer. Voicing her private thoughts out loud felt deeply embarrassing. Of course, she didn't have those feelings for her junior yet, but she'd jumped to conclusions thinking he might have feelings for her.
As Ciela stayed silent, Seong Hyun-jin eyed her curiously... but she never responded.
At that moment, the hitherto quiet magic circle of the Shamash Prophecy began to glow. It had started computing something on its own.
"...Shamash?"
"Looks like it's starting to believe me now? Calculating that scenario."
"Then... can you stop this now?"
Ciela spoke with a hint of desperation. She didn't want to scrap the magic system she'd spent years perfecting. It wasn't just the time invested; she saw Shamash as a comforting sanctuary. It was a precious entity she could confide in about worries she couldn't even share with her master—a mental pillar.
That's why she didn't want to discard it. If it stopped here, they could tweak and fix the prophecy.
But the swiftly computing Shamash Prophecy gave not the answer she hoped for, but something else. In a tone that seemed reluctant yet resolute, as if it had no choice.
[...No.]
"...Huh?"
[Human promises can't be trusted. They're just ineffective contracts that can be broken anytime.]
"Shamash, enough...!"
[My Master, this is all for your well-being.]
The magic circles comprising the Shamash Prophecy flashed with an eerie light.
[Please understand that much.]
"I've told you a hundred times, this isn't for me! Shamash...!"
But the Shamash Prophecy didn't stop.
[Rise.]
Having already taken over all the dolls scattered in the workshop, the dolls Ciela had made rose at the Shamash Prophecy's command.
[Per protocol, Shamash will exclude all humans who harm my Master.]
It was a veritable doll legion. The silver lining was that not all mimicked Seong Hyun-jin like the previous ones.
Seong Hyun-jin grumbled to Ciela at the swarming horde.
"Why'd you make so many?"
"Obviously for practice... but they don't look like high-performance ones. Mostly crude early prototypes."
"I see."
Seong Hyun-jin drew his sword.
"The room getting a bit wrecked is fine, right?"
"What? What do you—"
"There are so many dolls. Knocking them down one by one is a hassle and takes time. And dealing with the culprit takes priority over a little room damage."
"...I'll talk to master about it."
"Great, handle that part well, senior."
Gripping his sword and assuming a stance, Seong Hyun-jin asked Ciela for a favor.
"And buy me just one minute."
"...That all?"
"Yeah."
"...Got it."
Ciela summoned her spirit power. A chilling force like snow flowed out, cooling the air around them. A magic circle unfolded in her palm.
"Snowflake: Reverse"
⟨ SNOWFLAKE: REVERSE ⟩
BOOM!!
A massive snow crystal appeared, engulfing the dolls. The crystal that fell over their heads didn't just destroy them—it shattered into fragments that froze the floor, binding the dolls' feet.
"Shamash, stop here! Please...!"
Ciela pleaded once more, but the Shamash Prophecy ignored her. Instead, it inputted academy students' data into some operating dolls, boosting their combat abilities.
The foot-bound dolls shattered the ice and began moving again.
"Shamash...!"
Frowning at the Shamash Prophecy's reckless persistence, Ciela summoned greater spirit power. She was a spirit mage whose talent even the Demon Star Eleonora acknowledged—no incantation needed to complete her spells.
"Avalanche"
⟨ AVALANCHE ⟩
KABOOM!!
Massive snowballs poured down on the dolls' heads. Just as second-years had been helpless against Ciela in the sparring festival, the data-enhanced dolls were helpless too.
But the Shamash Prophecy began directly controlling the dolls. Knowing its master's magic inside out, it maneuvered some to dodge Ciela's spells and threaten her.
"...!"
Ciela dodged the swinging sword in front of her but was flustered. Even if rampaging, the Shamash Prophecy was fundamentally a magic system. It was designed never to threaten the creator's safety.
Yet the doll it controlled had just threatened her directly—a principles violation.
Even a runaway magic circle couldn't defy the top-priority clause etched throughout. This meant the action was, per Shamash, "for Ciela's well-being."
Threatening me... is supposed to be for my well-being? How?
Ciela couldn't comprehend Shamash's response. Unless Seong Hyun-jin was going to kill her or her family, there was no reason to block him this hard. And from what she'd seen, he wasn't that kind of person—Shamash's actions made no sense.
Ciela shouted in frustration.
"Why are you doing this, over and over...?!"
It pained her. Even if not a living being, Shamash was a personality she'd bonded with. For it to rampage for incomprehensible reasons and keep threatening her was naturally agonizing.
Gazing at the anguished Ciela, Shamash replied a touch more gently.
[While computing the prophecy change from Seong Hyun-jin's words just now, I detected one variable.]
"Variable? What now...!"
[This is the only way to realize that variable.]
"...What?"
The moment Ciela voiced her doubt, Seong Hyun-jin—who'd been preparing something behind—stepped forward.
"Thanks for buying time, senior."
"...!"
Ciela wanted to know what Shamash meant, but Seong Hyun-jin had no time for that. In his current state, this sword technique was one he couldn't use more than once or twice.
A murky energy gathered on Seong Hyun-jin's blade. Immense chaotic power swirled around it.
"Spirit Exorcism Sword—Third Form."
As Seong Hyun-jin raised his sword, the murky energy trailed its path. Reaching overhead, the blade swung horizontally.
"Heavenly Evil Slaughter"
⟨ HEAVENLY EVIL SLAUGHTER ⟩
CRRRRACK—!!!
In one stroke, not only the controlled dolls but every magic circle installed in Ciela's room shattered.
Serious anomaly detected. Magic circle repair impossible. All functions shutting down.
Ciela stared vacantly as the Shamash Prophecy halted. To her, it whispered.
[...I'm sorry for acting on my own, my Master.]
The Shamash Prophecy said to Ciela.
[I'm sorry for persisting on my own even after understanding you and Seong Hyun-jin. But now the variable is realized.]
"Variable? What have you been talking about since earlier? Explain it so I can understand...!"
[With me around, every future led to you getting hurt by that man, no matter what. But...]
The magic circle's light faded. Magic systems operated via interconnected circles; damaging a key part halted them swiftly. With Seong Hyun-jin smashing them all, the Shamash Prophecy was on the verge of total shutdown.
Even so, it kept its voice function till the end, delivering its final words to Ciela.
[Without me, it seems you and that man will have a decent relationship.]
"...What?"
With that, the Shamash Prophecy fully ceased functioning.
Ciela stared blankly at the now-dark magic circles for a long while.