Chapter 119
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 119
Chapter Title: The Revealed Truth (2)
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[Burning Glory: Why......?]
As if seriously pondering the question of why, Burning Glory fell silent for a long time.
That brief reply was probably the sound of a long-ingrained command clashing against its own doubts.
The Tower of Intellect didn't seem inclined to take the easy path.
It had no intention of rashly telling Burning Glory to help us.
From my perspective, even if things got a bit more complicated, there was no reason to stop it.
I didn't like the idea of breaking someone's will and turning them into a mere tool, either.
I had no desire to see a being lose its own volition and move only by orders. Especially not someone with whom I'd formed a connection by picking up this manaphone.
I could agree with the Tower of Intellect's direction.
Of course, I'd dealt with enemies using all sorts of lies and deceptions, but they were enemies, after all.
There was no need to show mercy to those gunning for my life.
But '0' has been completely silent this whole time?
There must have been a reason for letting him in here.
I wonder if it's okay for the Demon King... no, the Tower of Intellect to drop a bombshell like that.
I can't presume to know the exact intent, but the silence probably means agreement, as usual.
I see.
You don't think the Tower of Intellect predicted even this reaction, do you?
That's beyond us.
Of course, no one had expected it.
I had no idea what changes that single question from the Tower of Intellect to Burning Glory would bring about.
I simply decided on the path that felt right in the moment and responded accordingly.
Burning Glory—no, Hord, the warden of the Interminable Prison—stood frozen in place for a long time, awkwardly clutching the black stele, lost in deep thought.
He had always enjoyed contemplation.
Since all he could do here was watch, thinking was the only activity left to him.
The Interminable Prison had always been that way—a place where nothing special happened for centuries.
No one could escape the Interminable, so the warden had no reason to move.
Days blended into the same hue, with even the boundary between yesterday and tomorrow growing faint.
So he'd never once imagined an intruder from outside.
It was like turning his gaze to a path that didn't exist.
At the same time, it proved that the single path he'd known wasn't the only one.
The warden here was solely himself—no comrades, no superiors to report to.
Once, hundreds of renowned Transcendents had been imprisoned here, yet nothing changed.
That was how it was supposed to be.
But a variable had entered Hord's life.
A variable unlike any he'd encountered before.
The black stele in his hand.
A strange magical device he'd obtained during a brief outing while everyone slept.
An invitation to that place.
There were other Transcendents like him, and above them, the great being called '0'.
That alone was a ripple.
And now, he was lost in thought once more.
But this contemplation was different.
Until now, his thoughts had revolved around a choice: to do it or not.
Yes, a choice.
He'd thought of it as a choice.
But was it truly a choice?
His dilemmas never lasted long.
He just needed to consider if it aligned with his assigned duty.
What he did was simply what had to be done.
He'd never found anything odd about that notion.
But the Tower of Intellect had spoken.
To think about why he did that duty.
Guarding this place was a mission handed down from ages ago.
Why was that mission given to him?
Why him?
Why?
Why?
Why?
The small ripple soon spread like a massive wave.
It was the moment a colossal question roared through Hord's mind.
Burning Glory's deliberations dragged on.
So long that one might wonder if he'd turned to stone right there, with no answer in sight.
Perhaps he'd fallen into confusion.
I thought it best to leave him be for now.
Honestly, it was thanks to Burning Glory's personality that he could even grapple with such doubts.
The Daon Tribe, was it?
If not for that, between a lifetime of service and this suspicious new chatroom, where would his loyalties lie?
The Merciful Crown's silence out of worry might even backfire.
Of course, my decision to observe Burning Glory a bit longer stemmed from having a backup plan.
If he spilled all the info, things would be simpler, but even without that, there were other paths. And there was no guarantee his eventual answer would be to help us.
So I decided to take action on what I could do myself first.
When the Merciful Crown first shared info on the Interminable Prison, she mentioned an entrance in the southern desert region of the continent.
Of course, that was ancient information, from a time when the name "Interminable" had nearly been forgotten.
Whether the entrance still existed was unclear.
But it didn't matter.
I picked up the manaphone. Besides the one I used as 'Secret Balance' to send messages, the one for replying as '0' was the admin phone.
The admin phone could check the mana patterns recognized by other members and even identify which manaphones they held.
No matter that it was a beta version, it surely had identification numbers assigned.
So by checking Burning Glory's manaphone, I could pinpoint it—and thus locate the hidden manaphone nearest to the Interminable Prison.
That would let me narrow down the closest point.
Find the Interminable Prison's location and send a clone.
It had become straightforward once I learned Burning Glory was its warden. No great risk to me.
Still, one issue remained unresolved.
Burning Glory, answer just this for now.
If someone intrudes and meets a prisoner, what penalty do you face?
A brief silence followed. Then came a startlingly simple response.
I don't know.
You don't know?
It's never happened even once.
No new prisoners have entered since I've been guarding this place.
So it's been forgotten outside.
Something must be wrong there too.
No new prisoners entering...
That detail nagged at me.
Maybe that's why the forces of evil are running rampant.
I'd already sensed some massive undercurrent at play...
Come to think of it, doesn't this line up oddly with the time after the Hero died?
I can't approach the great beings easily myself.
But rumor has it Sephirot created the Interminable Prison.
Heard that one too?
Even hearsay is reliable in its own way.
I read it from records in the mana.
And if our guesses so far are right, maybe something happened to Sephirot too?
A problem with a great being...
Aren't you curious?
If '0' really knows about this, I'd pay any price to find out.
Of course, given how Sephirot had made arrangements for successors without revealing himself, I could infer some issue existed.
But I didn't know exactly what the problem was with Sephirot yet.
So it was info I couldn't share.
'Maybe I'll find out once I gather all the Oracle Steles...'
The others seemed quietly curious too; the chat paused as they awaited a response from '0', but when none came, the Tower of Intellect spoke up.
Knowing info too heavy to bear can feel like a curse at times.
Agreed.
No guarantee we'd learn it anyway.
'0' would know.
At the center of this vast current... perhaps even directing it themselves.
By the way, asking about penalties—does that mean Secret Balance plans to handle it alone?
Doesn't know, so it's tricky now.
Hard to act rashly.
At least not the type to ruthlessly pursue goals at any cost.
Shouldn't we worry first about whether it can even be solved?
Who could stop me and this weirdo teaming up?
...When did those two naturally decide to join forces?
Oh, and didn't we ask Root of Understanding about the Essence of Evil?
Maybe start there.
I'd been thinking the same thing.