Chapter 400
Chapter 400
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 400
Chapter Title: The Shifting Situation (4)
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The Kashan Empire.
The coronation of the emperor of this dominant power in the northwestern continent, an empire that occupied a third of the human realm, was an hour away.
The succession process, as always, was unofficial and secretive.
In the 23rd-floor spire of the great palace, Aganos, only the two Therases who shared the same memories and a select few privy to their secrets were present.
The succession of power from Therase Mistra to Therase Uorin.
To the outside world, it appeared to be a common imperial succession, a parent passing the throne to their child, but some knew the truth.
That only the name had changed.
Therase was the proper noun for 'something' that had lived for countless ages, perpetually renewing itself.
“This concludes the handover concerning the Sacred Council. Well, with the Sacred Council's affairs settled, that's practically everything.”
Fourteen hours ago, Uorin had just returned from a visit to the World Assembly on the central continent.
There, she had been introduced to the Sacred Council for the first time, and in an hour, she would ascend to the Triumvirate.
Even within the Sacred Council, the world's most powerful super-faction, Therase's influence was immense.
Below the Triumvirate were the Seven Star Kings—the monarchs of the continent's seven most powerful nations—and the Two Sovereign Kings, the leaders of the elves and dragons.
It was no exaggeration to say that these twelve monarchs belonging to the Sacred Council stood at the pinnacle of the world.
Uorin had gone from being a princess of Kazra to a ruler of the world in an instant, yet no joy could be found on her face. After all, everything was merely a subset of the name Therase.
“Enough with the pleasantries. We've already verified there are no discrepancies between your memories and mine. But I have a question.”
Uorin stopped walking and turned to look back at Mistra.
“Why so soon? I thought my ascension to the throne was at least four years away.”
Since mother and daughter shared memories, they were two, yet one. Therefore, an inflection point in their shared line of thought was a matter that absolutely had to be addressed.
“Hmm, about that…”
Mistra looked back at Uorin.
While she herself had black hair and intense eyes, Uorin had white hair and a clear, almost transparent presence.
Neither her husband, Orcamp, nor she had white hair. Hence, a mutation.
She was the 'self' who possessed 'Foresight,' an extremely rare facet of the 'History Search' ability that defined the current Therase.
Perhaps it had been a foregone conclusion that Uorin, among all her many daughters, would become the emperor.
However, today's ascension was an irregular move, one that hadn't been calculated even in Mistra's mind.
“Don't worry. I'll make sure my passing is clean. I only followed you to Aganos because some things have come up within the memories formed since your birth that I absolutely must pass on.”
Once Uorin ascended to the Triumvirate, there was no reason for Mistra to exist in this world. However, there was still a task that had to be completed in her generation.
Advancing the imperial succession by several years and pushing matters so quickly—even to the point of framing Mikea Gaold for treason—was all for that reason.
Entering the room, Mistra took a locked box from a desk drawer. She handed it to Uorin, who was waiting on the sofa, then sat opposite her and crossed her legs.
“This box contains all the answers to your questions. It holds a secret of the current human race that no one knows—though I'm sure you'll figure it out. Used well, it could be a powerful weapon, but given the circumstances, I had to make the first move.”
“How do I open it? I doubt I can break it.”
“I have the key. I can't show you yet. Before that, there's someone I want you to meet.”
Right on time, a knock came at the door.
Only a handful of people in the entire world had the authority to access the 23rd floor of the great palace, Aganos, so Mistra immediately bade them enter.
A tall man entered. He had slender eyes and a gentle impression, with his violet hair slicked back, save for a single strand that fell forward.
It was Gando, the former captain of the Tormia Magic Association's guard.
As Therase Mistra's first son, he was biologically Uorin's older brother, but in terms of consciousness, he was effectively her son. This was why bloodlines were meaningless to Therase.
Gando bowed his head toward his two mothers, acknowledging their ambiguous relationship.
“You called for me, Mother.”
“Yes, come here. You handled this matter well.”
To Gando, who had been adopted into Tormia right after birth and raised by the Ganjas, the Tormia Magic Association was as good as his entire life.
But it had all been a lie.
Even joining Gaold's personal guard was just part of the false life designed for him by his mother.
In a life so riddled with deceit, the only genuine feeling Gando had found was his reverence for Gaold.
But in the end, he had framed Gaold for treason and fled into his mother's arms.
“My, what's with that expression? It's not because of Gaold, is it? You didn't have any personal feelings for him, did you?”
“The only person precious to me is you, Mother. However… as a mage, I respect his achievements.”
“Hah. Gando, you are a son of Therase. You have no need to respect a mere head of a magic association.”
Gando fell silent.
A member of the Triumvirate certainly had the right to say such things. But for him, who had spent most of his life in Tormia, it was still difficult to distinguish which side was the truth.
Uorin studied Gando, then nodded.
“He's certainly different from Jion. You picked a good one this time.”
“Hehe, right? I didn't expect much since he's a son. He has talent, so why not raise him as a mage? You can keep him by your side if you want.”
Gando lowered his head.
A good one? Raise him well?
What was he to Therase?
A human? A living creature? Or was he just a cog, stuck inside a clock, destined to turn for all eternity?
“By my side? Hmm, I'm content with Crouch. Here. Gando, come over here.”
Gando approached Uorin like a slave sold at market. Every place her gaze pierced felt as if it were being stripped bare.
He couldn't show his displeasure.
Today, his biological mother, Mistra, would perish. If Uorin cast him aside, all that remained for him was death.
“Alright, well… I suppose I’ll keep you for now. I’ll have to focus on Kashan for the time being anyway.”
“Thank you, Mother.”
Gando bowed his head deeply. His eyes, looking down at the floor, wavered.
He was going to die.
If Uorin was Mistra's incarnation, he couldn't trust a single word that came from her mouth.
“However, I have two conditions.”
Uorin let out a smirk. To set conditions for Therase, a member of the Triumvirate, spoke volumes of his will to live.
“Speak. If they are conditions I can meet…”
“Please ensure that I do not come into conflict with anyone in Kashan.”
It was a request to be recognized as an independent entity. A necessary measure, if he was to survive and serve as Uorin's aide.
“Fine. And the second?”
“Do not make me criticize you, Mother. I am merely a warrior who fights blindly for you.”
It was a veiled way of asking to be treated like a dog. A desperate plea, yet one that showed his will not to descend into servility.
Perhaps it was also a mage's cold, calculated solution, but Uorin didn't care.
There was no harm in keeping a puppy, after all.
“You’ve saved your own life, Gando.”
“I can only thank you for your benevolence, Mother.”
Mistra waved her hand and said.
“You may leave now. We have things to attend to.”
This was likely the last time Gando and Mistra would meet, yet no trace of maternal affection could be found in her tone.
As Gando left the room, Mistra, as if the time had come, took a key from her clothes.
“The reason for accelerating the succession is to create a variable. Gaold will go to heaven and do something. In the end, it will be to our benefit.”
“You think he can succeed? A twenty-year plan was ruined in an instant.”
“Success or failure is irrelevant. What matters is that something changes. Humans gamble on low odds because the reward for victory overwhelmingly outweighs the despair of defeat. I've simply given Gaold that chance.”
“I still don't understand. I don't know what you're thinking. How can this be?”
“Of course. That's why you must open the box. In it are records of a déjà vu concerning an 'underlying event' that only I know. If you read it, you will understand my thoughts exactly.”
Therase possessed all memories from primordial times to the present and could rapidly search through this vast repository with her unique ability, 'History Search'.
At first, it was nothing more than a simple data search.
But with the occurrence of the Guffin Reset, this ability evolved explosively. In other words, as a new history was created after the reset, an 'underlying event' formed beneath the existing history.
A kind of precognitive ability, born from the contrast between two different timelines sharing the same temporal space, perceived through déjà vu.
For Uorin, who also possessed 'Foresight,' conquering heaven in her generation would not be just a dream.
“The reason I kept it hidden until the end was because I feared exchanging opinions would introduce subjective judgment into History Search. See for yourself and judge. After all, I am you, and you are me.”
Mistra walked to the desk. The moment she handed over the key, her life's mission was complete.
Uorin asked.
“How will you do it?”
“Anything is fine, but let’s just make it clean.”
Mistra lifted a ceremonial sword from the desk. The blade, drawn with a sound like flowing water, scattered the light in the room.
Uorin nodded and inserted the key into the box. Meanwhile, Mistra gripped the hilt with both hands, tilted her head back, and brought the blade to the nape of her neck.
As she blinked, staring at the ceiling, a thought suddenly struck her, and she turned back to Uorin.
“Right, you said you were going to ‘devour’ Shirone, didn't you? Has that thought changed?”
Uorin shrugged as she opened the box.
“He has Ataraxia, and he's handsome, isn't he? The rest doesn't seem particularly important. Why, is there some element of risk?”
“No. Alright, then.”
Mistra tilted her head back again.
She had a slightly bad feeling, but this too was a common occurrence. The long and storied history of Therase was not so fragile as to be altered by a single boy.
The moment Uorin opened the box, Mistra's sword moved with a sharp *shing*, and a fountain of blood erupted. A moment later, the sound of Mistra collapsing to the floor with a thud was heard.
Uorin didn't even spare a glance. Her attention was solely on the information contained within the box.
The box contained documents on two matters.
The title written on the cover of the first document was 'Guffin Annihilation'.
Because the reset was estimated to have occurred nineteen years ago, the underlying event was fainter for Uorin, who was born after it, than it was for Mistra. However, this was no longer crucial information, as the Sacred Council and the major institutions of each nation had already grasped the situation.
Uorin set aside the first document, now a relic of a bygone era, and picked up the new one that lay beneath it.
‘So this is it…’
Her hand, reaching for a coffee cup, paused and returned to grip the document with both hands. For a long time, she savored the title written in the center of the page.
Anke La Annihilation
Uorin flipped through the pages quickly. Memorization first, analysis later.
After memorizing all 200 pages down to the last syllable in five minutes, she brought over a candlestick and burned the document.
Uorin's gaze, fixed on the flames, was sharper than ever before. She finally understood what Mistra had wanted to convey.
‘You were right, Mistra.’
Gando knocked and entered the room. He paused, at a loss for words at the completely changed scene, but quickly regained his composure and bowed his head.
“Mother, it is time for the coronation ceremony.”
“I know. I'm on my way.”
Gando turned his head toward Mistra, who lay on the floor.
She had cut her own throat with the ceremonial sword. He could tell, even without looking closely, that it had been a flawless cut.
“What should I do with the body?”
“Dispose of it.”
Uorin replied curtly, as if telling him not to interrupt her thoughts.
Gando removed the corpse, careful to muffle even the sound of his footsteps.
She was the mother who had given birth to him. But now, Mistra was Uorin. A being that could not be understood with human common sense. That was Therase.
Uorin pushed back from her seat and strode out into the hallway.
At the end of the 23rd-floor tower was a balcony that overlooked a square where hundreds of thousands of imperial citizens had gathered.
Parting the curtains and stepping out onto the balcony, she saw an immense crowd stretching to the horizon.
When the people on the ground spotted Therase, a great roar erupted. The heavens and earth seemed to shake, and the heat of their fervor rose to the very top of the spire.
“Long live Her Majesty the Empress! Long live Her Majesty the Empress! Long live Her Majesty the Empress!”
Uorin raised her hand. In response, the volume, which had seemed impossible to surpass, more than doubled, paralyzing the senses.
The entire world was at her feet, yet Uorin merely gazed down with cold eyes.
Humans were a peculiar species, possessing as many diverse personalities as there were individuals, but when gathered together, they were ultimately just a race bound by the single name of 'human'.
Not individuals, but a great monster called 'humanity' was roaring up at her.
‘Shirone, there is no time. Meet Ikael. You must change things. If you don't…’
Uorin looked up at the sky. Only the sun was higher than she.
‘Humanity will be destroyed.’