Chapter 85
Chapter 85
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 85
Chapter Title: The Master's Fatalism
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“Ran, Noel, Steen, Bivinel. The four of you, and I’ll go as well.”
“There’s no need for you to move as well, Butler.”
“I’ll go in Dame Dianne’s place. It’s always the old folks who handle cleanup the most meticulously and cleanly.”
“If you’ll take care of it, that’s exactly what we’d hope for.”
“In exchange, I’ll leave the master’s side to you. He’ll have much to ponder.”
“He’ll overcome it. Just as he always has.”
Dianne looked toward the back gate of the mansion and asked.
“What about Inevil?”
“He said he had something to think about and stepped out for a bit.”
“It must weigh on him. We’ve been through the same.”
“She’s a child who likes to make an effort. She’ll have resistance to accepting the Realm.”
“I’ll persuade her. And once she knows exactly what we’re trying to do, she’ll accept it too.”
The door to the study opened, and Master emerged. She greeted her.
“It’s been a while.”
“Yes, Dame Dianne. It really has. Did things go well on your outing?”
“I learned that things don’t always go smoothly. How about you, Master? Did you gain anything from this trip?”
“I confirmed it once again. That the Grand Flow cannot be defied.”
“In your view, Master, what is our future like? Will that Flow aid us? Or hinder us?”
“That, I do not know. My narrow field of vision only shows the path ahead of me.”
“That’s a shame. I was hoping to hear advice from a prophet.”
She gave a listless smile before speaking.
“You’ve heard about the Two-Story House, I assume?”
“Yes.”
“You still don’t intend to permit it this time either?”
“I told Lord Rielder to do as he wishes. That place has served its purpose now.”
“It seems the proxy of the gods you’ve always spoken of has finally appeared. What should I say? Should I congratulate you since it appeared as foretold, or offer condolences?”
“Neither congratulations nor condolences are appropriate. It is merely what happened in the natural order. There is no room for emotions in it.”
“But interpreting phenomena is the domain of humans. You once said, Master, that you would carry out your master’s will and punish the gods. But now that the proxy of the gods has appeared, that aspiration will be hard to fulfill. If everything proceeds sequentially according to the Grand Flow, you’ll die soon.”
“Fortunately, there’s still time. Enough to scout out a gravesite, at least.”
“I can’t tell if your words are sincere or not, Master. Will you just sit back and wait like this? Entrusting both your master’s will and your life to fate?”
“As I said just now, phenomena are merely phenomena. There is no good or bad in them. If it happens, it simply happens.”
She resembled a mechanical doll that only moved its jaw joint. No emotions could be read from Master. It was a curtness she hadn’t grown accustomed to, an emptiness that grated on the nerves.
“Does Master have no desires? No wants at all?”
“There’s no need for me to explain.”
“Impressive. There’s something I’ve wanted to ask for a while now. Why did you serve your master? I’ve been curious what reason a person with nothing to hope for would have to devote their entire life.”
“People change, inevitably. When I served my master and learned magic, I had clear desires. Right after peering into the Realm, I felt the euphoria of being able to change the world. I still have such thoughts to some degree. That’s why I’ve joined hands with you all.”
“And then?”
“The deeper my learning grew and the sharper my foresight became, the more I felt the inescapable Grand Flow. One day, it even whispered to me. All your choices will ultimately prove meaningless.”
Master pulled on her hood. The shadow draped over half her face.
“I struggled against it. I’m still struggling now. But fate always mocks me. No matter what choice I make, the outcome remains unchanged. It proceeds in the natural order, as predetermined, within the grand framework. And at some point, you realize it. Ah, I must contribute to this Flow as a faithful chess piece.”
“It’s contradictory. If everything is predetermined, then nothing you do will bring change. If there’s no change, there’s no reason to act, and even less reason to contribute. What is it? What exactly are you moving for?”
An impulse rose to force open her tightly shut mouth and drag out her parched tongue.
But she had to hold back. Master was still useful. She was the only one who could open a complete Realm.
“Not moving is also something predetermined. Free will exists, and choices certainly exist. It’s clearly my choice to converse with you like this, Dame Dianne. But all these things lose value before the Grand Flow. They cannot become variables.”
“What if I kill you right here? That too would be fate, and it wouldn’t change our affairs at all?”
“That’s how it would be. If fate wills it, then it will happen. What will you do? If you need my neck, feel free to take it. Lord Rielder would wish for it too.”
Dianne gripped the sword at her waist, then released it with a sneer.
“Your fatalism is pathetic. No matter how many times I hear it, it sounds like nothing but an excuse from a coward. You say you’re struggling? Not at all. You simply lack the ability and the will to change anything. You’ve merely inherited the astonishing magic your master discovered—you’ve accomplished nothing yourself. It’s the psychology of a loser. You’ve only learned how to lose, and it’s made you powerless.”
She approached Master closely. She flipped back the hood and peered into her eyes. They remained utterly impassive.
“Even hearing this, you show no reaction. A humiliated person would endure it, strike back, or submit. Yet Master can’t even manage that natural response. Or do you find me too ridiculous to deem worthy of a reply? If so, that would be welcome. It would be minor proof that you’re human.”
“Do you have more to say?”
“Is this scene too something the Grand Flow foretold?”
Master didn’t answer and pulled her hood back down. She turned and left the mansion. Dianne let out a dull breath.
“I despise people without greed or desire. Master qualifies. She wasn’t that bad when we first met.”
“She might be weary. That man’s master created a magic unprecedented in history. A giant worthy of the annals. Before such feats, Master feels infinitely insignificant. She upholds her master’s legacy but doesn’t know what to do with it. Well, the idea of punishing the gods still sounds absurd even now.”
Dianne thought of Master’s master, a man she’d never even seen once. What kind of person had he been?
A mage from the small village of Blue Button who birthed a miracle. Judging from the logs left in the Two-Story House, Master’s master had been a man of terrifying tenacity and indomitable will.
Had he not staked his life on the grandiose dream of punishing the gods, the continent’s landscape would have changed.
“What on earth did he see to take Master as his disciple?”
“There were probably various reasons. But he wouldn’t have foreseen her changing like this. A man who vowed to punish the gods, now swayed by fatalism. His dead master must be pounding his chest in regret. Even a great mage was poor at judging people.”
The butler smiled as he continued.
“The fortunate thing is that the magic to open the Realm can be taught. The underground mages, and Master too. We joined hands with him precisely because we knew that was possible.”
“I hope results come soon. Master has become an unstable element in herself. I never imagined she’d become this powerless in just a few years.”
“It might actually be an opportunity for us. Because she’s powerless, she observes everything passively. Disposing of her will be easy.”
“Now that you mention it, you’re right. If Master had judged rationally, she wouldn’t have taught the magic to open the Realm. The moment the underground mages master it perfectly, her disposal is obvious—who would let go of their lifeline?”
“But Master did let go. With disheartening ease. It’s made things easier for us.”
The door to the study opened. It was Rielder. His conversation with the underground mages seemed to have ended.
She examined the lord’s face. Beyond disposing of the Two-Story House, his smile suggested other gains.
“Hume asked for just ten days. To open a complete Realm.”
Rielder said.
“It’s exactly what I wanted to hear.”
“It seems the fate Master so faithfully follows has sided with us.”
If a complete Realm opened in ten days, all worries would vanish.
The uncontrollable variables would be buried in the earth, and comrades to usher in a new era would increase. The plan was proceeding without a hitch.
“I’ll go tidy up the Two-Story House now.”
“You’re going yourself?”
At Rielder’s question, the butler bowed as he replied.
“I’ve been cooped up in the territory, so I miss the outside a bit. Thought I’d sightsee on the way.”
“I’ve neglected you. Come to think of it, you couldn’t even join the sparring.”
“Not as much as the young ones, but it seems I needed an outlet too. I’ll set aside managing the mansion for a while and go.”
“Take your time.”
The butler, backing away, opened his mouth again.
“What about the people of Blue Button?”
“How many in total population?”
“Less than thirty households.”
“Judge on site.”
“Understood.”
Dianne spoke to the butler.
“There’ll be a man named Kal in the Two-Story House. He introduced himself as a reporter, but he probably isn’t. He seemed extremely dangerous. Moreover, he appeared to know the Silent Workshop’s guest list.”
Rielder, who had been listening, spoke up.
“That’s not good. If he holds information on the Silent Workshop, he could be in a troublesome position.”
“As Rielder says. It’s better not to encounter him, but the chances are slim. And Kal and Lander know each other. I don’t know why they’re investigating the Two-Story House, but they’re definitely unstable elements.”
The butler looked at Rielder.
“What shall we do? If we go, we’ll run into them. There’s nothing linking the Two-Story House to us, so shall we leave them be for the time being?”
“Kal holds information. He’s the exact type we need to worry about most. If those people reveal the Two-Story House to the world and secure the Empire’s cooperation, it’s only a matter of time before Master’s movements are exposed. And they’ll find us.”
Rielder let out a deep sigh. The butler replied immediately, as if understanding the sigh’s meaning.
“I’ll clean up the Blue Button area thoroughly. So thoroughly no one can tell what was there. And Dame Dianne, what about this Lander?”
She described her impression from the moment she saw him, neither adding nor subtracting.
“He didn’t seem all that impressive. But that’s what bothers me a little. If Inevil fell for him after seeing him, he must have skill, yet I didn’t get that feeling when we met.”
“If he hides it well, we should be cautious.”
“And there’s one more, but no need to worry about him. Just a hunter without skill. Focus on Kal and Lander. Especially Kal. Severe curly hair, so you’ll know him at a glance.”
“Including me, five from the 1st Knight Order will move. There won’t be difficulties. This body is truly all-purpose.”
The butler said he’d depart immediately and left the mansion.
(To be continued in the next installment)