Chapter 10

When things are going well, trouble is bound to come knocking. The external threats that made Kaien tremble in fear boiled down to two major factors: assaults by the tree-beast Betua, and earthquakes.

They could at least fend off Betua attacks with the Wall of Blood, but earthquakes were literal acts of heaven—disasters no preparation could counter.

That's why shamans and prophets from various tribes and families placed utmost importance on predicting when the next quake would strike. Of course, they didn't always succeed, and pinpoint accuracy was rare, so even those who got the timing roughly right were highly revered in dark elf society.

And today...

"Earthquake!"

Dawn. Right on the dot, time-wise. And for precisely the duration predicted, a fairly strong quake rattled Kaien before passing.

But no one suffered any damage. Fragile items were wrapped in cloth, and heavy objects that couldn't fall were firmly bound by shadows and secured.

When the shaking stopped, the dark elves were once again stunned to see it pass without a single casualty.

"Was the title of Great Sage just empty talk?"

"Has there ever been a prophet or shaman this accurate?"

"This... this is different. It surpasses the level of ordinary shamans or prophets."

"Great Sage. Truly a title befitting that human!"

Life for dark elves was harsh. Betua attacked daily, hungry for their flesh, and earthquakes could strike anytime, anywhere, shaking their homes. Their own kind were habitual betrayers and liars, leaving them uncertain when leaders might change or political structures realign.

Even with Blood Oaths, this innate anxiety about the future fueled their obsessive reliance on prophecy and superstition.

And today, a great being capable of erasing that root anxiety appeared before them for the first time.

"He predicted the Betua assault exactly."

"He even knew precisely which section they'd hit."

"Not even the finest warrior's blade could have been sharper."

"He recited a stranger's past and secrets they themselves had forgotten."

"The earthquake prophecy was his too. I've never seen anything more precise in my life."

Word travels a thousand miles without legs, they say. And rumors spread faster than anything.

Just three days after the quake, every dark elf in Kaien knew of Yurtel's Great Sage, Aiden.

"My turn now. Sell it for 3,000 shyr. Number thirty. Just wait a bit and you'll see the Great Sage?"

The waiting number tickets Cornac the guild master had made were being traded underground like currency.

Not just common elves, but warriors, even prophets and shamans, lined up eagerly outside his lodgings to catch a glimpse of the Great Sage.

He was creating a whole new social phenomenon in Kaien dark elf society.

And naturally, word reached the ears of the five pillar tribes—the famed families—of Kaien.

"What should we do?"

Five dark elves met in secret, in a room so thoroughly hidden no one could eavesdrop or spy.

The five tribe leaders veiled their faces in cloth to hide expressions, hands tucked under the table out of sight. United yet distrustful, they blocked any chance of reading emotions through gestures or glances.

It was a snapshot of dark elf society: forced coexistence, but no true trust.

"The Queen has heard of the Great Sage. And the moment she summons him..."

One veiled leader spoke cautiously. All five fell silent.

The Great Sage's ability to accurately divine past and future was now accepted fact. Too frequent and precise to dismiss as fraud or staged trickery.

If he met the Queen alone, their conspiracy would be laid bare.

"The Queen will summon him. She desperately wants to know who poisoned her."

"It's only a matter of time. We can't just sit here waiting for her to learn the truth!"

Though faces and hands were hidden, their voices betrayed urgency and fear.

When their decade-long plot unraveled, a bloodbath was inevitable. They had to stop it.

"Kill the Great Sage."

"No, too risky. Most of our kin crowd around him, hanging on his words. Even an assassin would be blocked by them first. And he's always guarded by knights."

"Besides... who would assassinate him and stain their hands with his blood?"

Dark elves were superstitious. Cornac had warned: touch a great sage, and the god granting his prophetic power would wrathfully curse you. No assassin would risk that.

"Exile him?"

"The masses would riot against any leader issuing that order. His fame blankets Kaien. The backlash would be too much."

"Can't chase him out. Can't kill him. Then what?!"

Dark elf talk hid emotions by principle, known well to these battle-hardened leaders. But the crisis hit too suddenly, inescapably, with little time left.

They all sighed in unison, breaths ragged.

"What if we undermine his authority? Brand him a liar?"

One leader proposed a plausible idea.

"The Queen is suspicious. Any crack in his reputation or whiff of fraud, and she won't summon him."

"Good idea?"

"But how? How do we make him out a liar?"

The first speaker chuckled lowly.

"I have a plan. Lend me your ears?"

He whispered it softly. And it sounded quite convincing.

"We've built enough fame and trust by now. Can't we just go straight to the Queen?"

End of day. Cornac the guild master shook his head at my words as he tallied the mountain of gifts with a Scrooge-like greedy grin.

"If we approach first, she'll suspect us. The moment we reach out, she'll think we're irreverent plotters targeting her. We wait for her summons."

Marco the knight captain, helping with the count, shook his head in disbelief.

"Why is she so paranoid?"

"That's dark elf society. Lies and betrayal are more natural than eating or breathing. Plus, the Queen was born to a commoner consort with no noble backing—no elite bloodline from a prominent tribe, in dark elf terms."

Talented dark elf men prided themselves on multiple wives. The previous Kaien king fell for a commoner dark elf woman one day, producing the current Queen. Unfortunately, she was exceptionally gifted: youngest ever to contract a Spirit King. Recognized for it, she became Queen—but drew vicious envy ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠from tribes robbed of the throne.

"So she's even more suspicious than most dark elves, with more secrets to hide. We absolutely can't approach first. She must know the rumors by now. Superstitious dark elves, especially a Queen with worries? She'll summon the Great Sage soon."

Cornac spoke with conviction. We decided to trust him and wait.

The next day, business boomed again. Two guards managed the crushing crowds into lines, while the guild master handled ticketing. Marco took gifts and gave change beside me.

But as the saying goes, you can see others' futures but not your own.

"Next..."

Mid-frenzy, the outside suddenly grew noisy. Marco stuck close; I opened the door to check.

The bustling market-like crowd outside my lodgings had vanished. Dark elves had swiftly cleared space—an awe-inspiring sight.

In the center stood three dark elves.

"The Grand Shaman."

"Prophet of the Curved Leaf."

"Why are they here?"

Murmurs revealed their identities. Marco and the two guards flanked me. Cornac stepped forward in my stead.

"Honored ones of Kaien! What brings you h—"

"Out of the way, human. We're not here for you."

The elf called Grand Shaman cut him off. I narrowed my eyes.

Their attire was bizarre: skin fully covered, thick veils over faces, jewels and talismans dangling everywhere. Even voices distorted—gender ambiguous, eerie.

"Haha! Don't be like that—talk to me first. What brings y—"

"Great Sage!"

The Grand Shaman irritably waved off the persistent guild master and shouted at me.

"An outsider divines kin's fates, seducing them with sweet lies to sow chaos! ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠How dare an unqualified wretch stir trouble here!"

His voice burned with fury. I stepped forward cautiously, bowing.

"I never meant to cause chaos. I only wanted to help Kaien a little..."

"Shut that reckless mouth! What you're doing is shamans' and prophets' domain! How dare you bewitch kin with vile tricks!"

Cornac smiled, but I saw the irritation beneath. He glanced at me, muttering:

'Competitors losing their rice ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bowl to you, so they're here to bully.'

Makes sense. No surprise they'd come when a new rival stole all customers.

And Mom's words helped again.

"What do you do then, Mom?"

Right. No need to make extra enemies. Smiling, I approached the three shamans and prophets.

"A misunderstanding. We're mere travelers staying briefly. Once we leave, counseling falls to you. Physically, I can't handle this many alone."

I tried soothing them with my friendliest face.

"Prophets and shamans are still essential. Minor woes, clan secrets—I can't cover those. I hoped for an audience with Her Majesty, but failing that, I stayed to consult. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Please, set aside your anger..."

But they showed no mercy.

"I'll expose your vile tricks and lies before all! I won't stand for a deaf-eared fraud beguiling kin any longer!"

"Tomorrow! Before everyone, we'll test if your power is real!"

"Refuse, and we'll assume you hide guilt—and never let you stay! We'll stake everything to drive you out!"

"The Trial Flame! The Trial Flame will reveal if you're true or false!"

After the one-sided declaration, the three shamans and prophets pushed through the crowd and vanished.

Remaining customers murmured, eyeing me.

"Vile tricks?"

"But the Great Sage nailed past and future perfectly."

"Humans use magic. Different from our spirit arts or shamanism—maybe some unknown power fooling us."

"His ability is impressive... but with Grand Shamans and prophets saying that, maybe something's off?"

Dark elves are superstitious—and equally suspicious, sensitive. I felt their trust waning.

This was bad. Cornac looked panicked. The Queen was extra paranoid, remember? If rumors spread unchecked, my rep would crack, and she might never summon me.

So I shouted to the crowd:

"Tomorrow! I'll take their test! Before all, I'll prove I'm no fraud! I came not to deceive, but to help!"

It sparked curiosity and excitement.

"A showdown."

"Grand Shamans, Prophets, versus the Great Sage!"

Phase one evolution: success. I returned inside; Cornac rushed me frantically.

"What now?! Why accept? You don't know dark elves—they set rigged games and call you in to lose! They'll never yield their bowl!"

"I know."

"Then why?!"

I paused, having just scanned the three Grand Shamans and prophets' pasts and futures with Oracle. Talismans and jewels dangling, fully covered garb—they aimed to block my ability, but Oracle pierced through fine.

They shouldn't have entered my sight if they wanted privacy.

Scan complete.

"Because I can win."

I smiled.