The Queen's Trials and the Butterfly Effect
When we heard that the queen had summoned me, none of us were particularly surprised. It was a development we'd seen coming from a mile away.
"If you meet her, please, I beg you, ask her to resume exporting Soul Flame. Without it, not just me—every alchemy guild will go under!"
After hearing Guild Master Cornac's desperate pleas for the umpteenth time, I followed the dark elves—her supposed subordinates—toward the palace at the heart of Kaien.
Echoing Castle. A fortress of spiraling wooden architecture that twisted like a whirlpool. Even the tiniest footstep echoed thunderously throughout the entire structure, a testament to how long generations of its masters had endured assassination attempts.
"Before the audience, we must beg your pardon for a moment. This is standard procedure, even for our kin—please don't take offense."
With a flick of their fingers, shadows slithered over my body, probing every inch before vanishing. It was an intensely unpleasant experience, but considering the queen's paranoia and the dark elf society's casual familiarity with betrayal and lies, this was downright routine.
After the search, the dark elves escorted me into the audience chamber, maintaining a tight formation that could have been either protection or surveillance.
And before long, I found myself face-to-face with the throne... or rather, I didn't.
"Where is the queen?"
A towering wall of shadow loomed before me. The chamber was empty. Her subordinates offered no response to my question, standing silently.
How am I supposed to read her fate or divine it without seeing her? What is this?
Just as bewilderment started to set in—
"Are you the Great Seer?"
A massive, resonant voice boomed from beyond the shadow wall. It was the kind that made your legs tremble involuntarily.
I startled, glancing around, but the queen remained unseen.
"Yes. I am the Great Seer, Aiden. It is my honor to meet the ruler of Kaien..."
"I have no intention of showing my face to you yet."
I frowned slightly.
"Unfortunately, I cannot read the fate of someone I haven't seen in person. Surely you summoned me here to divine your destiny? Then allow me to behold your countenance."
My polite request met a curt reply.
"First, I must confirm whether your power is genuine."
A scoff nearly escaped me. Really? After I toppled three grand sorceresses, predicted an earthquake, and foresaw exactly when, where, and how the Betua would assault the Wall of Blood? And that's still not enough? Paranoia in the terminal stage, indeed...
What could I do? I was in no position to argue. I nodded.
"Very well. Test me however you wish. I'll prove my ability is real."
The voice responded immediately from beyond the wall.
"The five elves around you are all my subordinates, bound to me by Blood Oath. Last night, I summoned them secretly and told each one a secret. Guess what those secrets were. A great seer of past and future should manage that much."
It wasn't difficult. I didn't even need to pull up their info windows now—I'd had plenty of time reading them from the inn to the audience chamber.
I pointed to the closest one and began.
"Drnar. The queen summoned you at 2 a.m., third in line. She spoke of her favorite childhood dish: dried lizard meat sliced and eaten with mushrooms."
The elf's eyes widened. No word from beyond the veil, but I sensed her surprise.
I pressed on. "Dural. Summoned at 3 a.m., fourth. She said one word: 'Awl.' Then ordered you never to speak of it and dismissed you."
These were trivial for me. Soon, I'd revealed the time, tale, and order for all five.
I faced the shadow veil. "Is this sufficient?"
No answer. The five subordinates suddenly left, and pitch darkness filled the room. Amid chilly, misty smoke, two dark elves appeared, cloaked head to toe in shadow.
"One is noble, the other a sinner. Declare which is which."
Easy again. After ten seconds scanning info windows, I pointed left.
"This one's the sinner. An assassin who tried to kill the Curved Leaf chieftain. Captured three years ago, rotting in prison since. The other is Your Highness's chamberlain, loyally serving you for years."
The darkness lifted; they vanished. More tests followed: reciting a stranger elf's past, finding the lone woman among dozens of servants. I passed them all effortlessly.
Three hours in, fatigue set in.
"Your Highness, may I sit?"
Shadow rose from the floor, forming a cushioned chair. I sank into it and gazed at the veil.
"Isn't this enough? Let me see your face."
Silence. But I could guess her turmoil. The echoing footsteps. The obsessive searches. Endless trials. She's terrified. Dare she trust me? Yet she must meet me...
"I didn't come here to harm you. I need Soul Flame. I haven't read your fate yet, so I don't know why you summoned me, but it must be dire."
The sudden export halt, her seclusion—something was wrong, and she needed an outsider's insight she lacked.
"I can provide the answer you seek. Please, let me see you."
Long silence. Then the veil parted. I rose and approached slowly.
As it fully dissolved, I beheld a woman on a wooden throne: impassive face, stunning beauty, voluptuous figure in revealing attire that flaunted it all.
[Reading target's information.]
Info flooded in; my eyes widened as I scanned it frantically.
"Approach me."
The queen beckoned indifferently.
"Look into my eyes. I permit you this honor."
I met her gaze and advanced. After three steps, she flinched, clapping a hand to her mouth. Her body trembled; a faint blood scent teased my nose.
"Stop."
I halted. Shadows enveloped her anew.
"Leave. Return tomorrow."
"Your Highness."
My cautious words earned a sharp retort.
"Did you not hear me? Leave! Get out now!"
I turned and exited as ordered. The five subordinates immediately surrounded me, escorting me back to the inn.
"We'll fetch you again tomorrow."
I nodded and entered.
Cornac rushed over, seizing my hands. This old man looks like a sage but acts like Scrooge.
"How did it go, Great Seer Aiden?" His eyes sparkled innocently.
I smiled awkwardly. "Turned away at the door."
"Pardon?"
"Barely glimpsed her face before being chased out. Told to come back tomorrow."
He tsked in disbelief. "What the—? Then what have you been doing all this time?!"
"Tests. Every kind imaginable to verify if my power's real."
Cornac slumped, looking ready to snap. "I swear... Can't say it about Kaien, but really..." He rubbed his face anxiously. "With Soul Flame exports halted, the backed-up contracts alone... We desperately need it. I... this... aaah."
To the mumbling guild master, I posed a question.
"Do you know the poisonous plants of the Shadow Forest well?"
"Of course. Shadow Forest flora have unique properties—essential knowledge for any alchemist."
"What about antidotes for Angui Flower poison?"
He stared, surprised I knew the name. "Angui Flower's effects vary wildly by preparation. Without the exact recipe or symptoms, no antidote's possible..."
"Purple wounds, spiderwebbing across the body. Floral patterns at the centers, oozing red pus. Pain eases briefly with raw Soul Flame chewed or applied, then returns. Know any poison causing that in dark elves?"
His eyes bulged. "First I've heard of such wounds... Wait. Purple with red pus?"
"Yes."
"Sounds like mixed with jumping spider venom... Hold on."
He borrowed paper and pen from the guards, scribbling furiously.
"When the spots are scratched or burst, is the fluid red like the pus, or yellow?"
"Yellow."
"Yellow. Pain type?"
"Like bones being scraped. Or ice growing inside them."
"Not neurotoxic. Mana-absorbing, proliferative type."
His face turned deadly serious, jotting complex formulas. He quizzed me; I detailed symptoms precisely. Soon, he snapped his fingers.
"Got it! Angui Flower seeds, jumping spider venom, mixed with despair weed and special soil called 'juup earth' at one-tenth ratio. Shadow Forest cave plants are my specialty. Not bragging, but in academy, I was so promising the prof fast-tracked me to grad—"
"The queen is poisoned by it. Terminal stage. She's dying."
His proud ramble froze.
I stayed calm. "Can you make the antidote now?"
He gulped. "Y-yes... I can."
"Can you conceal it in my clothes? To evade their shadow searches."
"Why that way?"
"I saw the future. It's the only way to save her and get what we want. Possible?"
He paled, calculated, nodded. "Yes."
"Good. Make it and hide it in my clothes."
"Th-then I'll fetch materials. Guards, two of you escort me?"
They left. Alone with Knight Captain Marco, he approached gravely.
"Aiden, are you alright?"
"Fine. Don't worry—I don't want to die. The queen's situation is more tangled than expected, but I can handle it. Trust me."
He nodded solemnly, taking guard at the door.
I sat, staring at the window before me.
Dark Elf Queen Mirien's future has drastically changed due to your actions!
This is a pivotal moment where you can decide her fate!
Select one of Mirien's three possible futures.
First future: Let the dark elf queen die. The simplest path. She perishes, a new ruler ascends, Kaien stabilizes, Soul Flame exports resume. Do nothing, refuse tomorrow's meeting, leave.
Second: Manipulate her. Knowing her past, future, and antidote—unique leverage. Dose her just enough to control her like a slave. Kaien crumbles, but I'm fabulously wealthy.
Neither appealed. Mom's words echoed: "Shaman or commoner, noble or beggar—attitude matters. The will to save lives. Without it, karma comes calling."
Saving lives matters. I glanced at my body—dying from rare Mana Dispersion Syndrome. Her: poisoned, suffering in silence. So alike.
I chose the third: Save and heal her. Unlike the clear first two, it was riddled with holes.
Selecting this branch will deeply entwine Elf Queen Mirien's future with yours!
I can't divine my own fate, so the third was hazy. But it felt right. No hesitation—I selected it...
"Wait. What the...?"
I couldn't. Why? Amid the foggy, hole-riddled haze, one scene burned crystal clear: Mirien and I... in bed... naked...
How? What leads to that?!
The window offered no answers. The mist lingered, that vivid image taunting: Mirien and I... Oh God.
No other choice. Save the person first. What can you do? I chose the third future.