Chapter 125
Chapter 125
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 125
Chapter Title: The Prophecy's Flaw
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"Even just the confirmed deaths exceed three hundred. The property damage to citizens is relatively minor, but with the Think Tank entrance destroyed, the national loss is immense. The cost to build just that one..."
Kalligo shook his head as if even thinking about it was horrific.
"It'll take time to clean up."
"His Majesty is personally urging it along, so it won't take long. If they don't want to die, they'll have to pull all-nighters."
Kalligo gave a look. They moved to the break room following him. The researchers inside took the hint and vacated the area.
"Isn't it strange? No one even signaled for them to leave."
"How many bureaucrats want to lounge around next to you, Mr. Kalligo?"
"I'm not some plague. You know better than anyone that I'm not that cold-hearted. You seem to have gotten acquainted with these folks, so put in a good word later. Tell them Kalligo isn't a bad guy."
"I'm not sure how many would believe that."
Lander chuckled as he pulled out a chair. If Kalligo had called him aside like this, he had something to say. And it was probably quite important.
"I heard you met with His Majesty."
Kalligo asked.
"Yes. I saw his face. We even talked about things we couldn't finish half a year ago."
"His Majesty must be even more worried now. No one frets over the Supreme Commander more than him. Personally, I wanted to watch him squirm a bit longer, but given the state of affairs, I can't."
"That's what His Majesty said. That someday he'd catch me and have a private chat with you."
"I'd better prepare to leave quickly. I don't want to get caught."
Kalligo closed the break room door.
"I learned some interesting facts through Inebil."
"Tell me."
It seemed related to Gilliod.
"I wanted to tell you right away, but as you know, I've been dragged all over the place, so I haven't had the time."
"You needed time to sort it out, too."
"As expected, you understand me best, Mr. Lander. What I'm about to say hasn't even been reported to His Majesty. I figured I should consult with you first."
Kalligo took out a notepad and pen. He tore out a sheet, placed it on the table, and wrote 'John' and 'Gilliod' on it.
"According to the information from Inebil, there's a very high chance these two are the same person."
"Not master and disciple, but the same individual?"
"Yes. He probably obtained a way to maintain his youth through the 'Realm.' The key point is that Gilliod has been preparing for this for a very long time."
"Silder was just a middleman, then."
"Exactly."
Kalligo wrote 'Silder' on the paper and listed a few names below it.
Dianne, Inebil, 1st Knight Order. And Charlotte.
"Before we get into Silder's side, let's examine Gilliod. Looking back at his past actions, if he'd wanted to, he could have vanished without a trace anywhere. He has that level of ability, decisiveness, and execution."
"But he gave us clues through inexplicable actions. If Gilliod hadn't fed us false information, we wouldn't have found the two-story house or the tail named Silder."
Kalligo nodded emphatically.
"Exactly. It was such an contrived move. No different from shouting at the top of his lungs, 'Please find me!' I was dying to know his psychology. And through my conversation with Inebil, I found out."
Kalligo briefly summarized the conversation he'd had with Inebil and relayed it. What Gilliod had said to Inebil, and what his goal was.
"Gilliod believes the future is fixed. No matter what choices the countless people in this world make, only one specific outcome awaits."
"That's the mindset of a prophet who has foreseen the distant future."
Nothing was more terrifying than someone with unshakeable conviction. Moreover, Gilliod possessed the power, intelligence, and means to turn that conviction into action.
Just look at the Holy City incident. If left alone, the damage would spiral out of control.
"A man who foresees the future and acts to bring about that fixed future—why did he approach you, Mr. Lander, and put on that false act?"
"Gilliod is aligning the present with the future he saw."
Kalligo smiled.
"Precisely. It's paradoxical. He's adjusting current events for a fixed future. Manipulating the present to reach that fixed future."
Kalligo tapped the table with his fan.
"'To deceive the Grand Flow, I must become a faithful chess piece.' That's what Gilliod said to Inebil. He's moving for the one and only future he foresaw."
"It's a contradiction in terms."
Kalligo pulled out a slip of paper. The note from twenty years ago that Gilliod had left with an old man and passed to Kalligo.
"When we first received this, we checked several possibilities. I said back then, 'He got the numbers exactly right but failed to identify the members.'"
"Yes. The note said three people, and your name, Mr. Kalligo."
Lander examined the note as he spoke.
"At the time, I thought this was flawless fact. But my talk with Inebil revealed it was wrong."
"What was it?"
"Gilliod told Inebil that in the two-story house, his dear friend would die, and he'd be the sole survivor. That incident would drive him to obsessively uncover the truth."
Kalligo shrugged.
"But the prophecy missed the mark. Given how Gilliod asserted it, the future where the other two besides me die was the fixed one. He'd have moved the 1st Knight Order for that."
"I see what you're getting at."
Lander crossed his arms. He recalled the two-story house.
"It wasn't three, but four. If we count precisely."
"Yes. At the time, I thought it referred to me, you, Mr. Lander, and Guchi—three people. But no. Gilliod saw a future with me, my friend, and the old man."
"What relation am I to you, Mr. Kalligo?"
"For starters, not friends. I don't make friends, personality-wise."
Kalligo smiled with his eyes.
"The future Gilliod saw has changed. Me and the old man are fixed facts. That won't change. No matter who takes the friend's spot, filling the headcount is also invariant. But one variable emerged that even foresight couldn't grasp."
Kalligo spread his right palm and pointed at his own face.
"In my view, that variable is the Supreme Commander. No need to overthink it. If he hadn't been there, we'd all be dead. Or, per Gilliod's prophecy, I'd have somehow survived alone."
Kalligo clasped his hands behind his neck and leaned back in his chair.
"Actually, Guchi and I joked about it. The prophecy failed for one of two reasons: either poor foresight, or some immense power that could derail even prophecies. We both pegged that power as you, Mr. Lander."
"Does a single individual possess the power to alter fate?"
"The Lander I know isn't just any individual. Far from it. The power you wield is frankly beyond common sense, isn't it?"
Kalligo spread his palm wide.
"You know what happens when mages cast spells freestyle like this without scrolls."
Lander nodded.
"Even small-scale magic leaves them bedridden for days if cast freestyle. And that's only for trained mages. Amateurs in the Mental Realm would shatter their minds; in severe cases, their bodies would melt away. But you, Mr. Lander?"
"I have no disagreement that I'm different. My method can't be taught to anyone."
"Right. You pull mana directly from the source in that insane way and come out unscathed. That simple fact is classified as top-tier secret because it's so far beyond normal."
Kalligo tapped his chin with his finger.
"Honestly, I'm curious. If the 'One-Man Army' walking the Ales Pilgrimage Path clashed with the Supreme Commander, who would win? Childish thought, but I'm curious nonetheless."
"That won't happen."
"Of course not. Anyway, once we pinned the prophecy's failure on you, Mr. Lander, I pondered what to do next."
"Tell me your thoughts."
"I sought an audience with His Majesty to gauge his intentions. He plans to very positively—no, forcibly—push for your return. He's reversing his own decree of the Supreme Commander's death. For an emperor with immense pride to swallow that humiliation... I was honestly shocked."
"He said nothing to me."
"Naturally. The moment he hints, you'd vanish quietly. Do you have any intention of returning as Commander?"
"Honestly, no."
"Exactly. So I asked him to put it off."
Kalligo circled 'Gilliod' on the paper.
"Gilliod will find out eventually, but no need to inform him now. Just look at the Holy City incident— the damage wasn't anywhere near what he wanted. Without you, Mr. Lander, the 8th District's deep zones would have surfaced, and the Holy City might have been half-destroyed."
The pen moved. An underline was drawn under Charlotte, listed below Silder.
"In my view, Gilliod's aim might have been Charlotte—or rather, the power she harbors. You saw it yourself, right? The extent of that unidentified spirit's power."
"If Sanka rages, half the Holy City flies away."
"Before you arrived at Silder's mansion, Mr. Lander, the spirit appeared, and Charlotte was injured and taken to the Holy City. That was the future Gilliod foresaw, and the Holy City assault fit that scenario. Inebil said it too: Gilliod knew of the spirit's emergence."
Kalligo crumpled the paper.
"But your intervention erased the outcome Gilliod desired. By now, he's preparing for the next phase and will soon hear this news."
"He'll analyze the cause. Hunt down and eliminate why the future went awry."
"Yes. That's why I'm telling you: stay as Hesse the veteran, not Lander. And become a very tempting bait at the same time."
"You want me to remain a retired soldier, not the empire's Supreme Commander, so Gilliod can approach easily?"
"Yes. If you're too high up, he'll get scared and hide."
"You're asking for something dangerous."
"Don't worry. I'll stake my neck alongside yours."
He looked at the smiling Kalligo.
"You seem to be enjoying this."
"Nothing's as fun as unraveling a mystery. My instincts are tingling. This case will perfectly satisfy my intellectual cravings."
"Do I have the option to refuse?"
"If you want to meet me every day for a year, yes. Refuse all you want. That'd be fun too."
"I suppose I have no choice. It's less hassle and less dangerous that way."
Lander replied with a smile.