Chapter 87
Chapter 87
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: John's Memo
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“How should I interpret this?”
Kalligo folded the note. It felt like he’d stumbled into something truly nasty.
“Is it that serious?”
Guchi asked. Kalligo scratched his head.
“Seriousness is secondary. It’s just bewildering.”
“What the hell is it?”
“The person who left this note for me is named ‘John.’”
“John? You don’t mean the one we’ve been investigating….”
“Yes. That John. It’s already suspicious from the start. ‘John’ is just a name we arbitrarily came up with for convenience, so how did he know?”
He looked at the old man who had delivered the note.
“Where is the person who asked you to do this now?”
“I don’t know. I was just carrying out his request.”
“When exactly did you receive that request? You said earlier that you came here every New Year’s.”
“I received the box twenty years ago.”
“Twenty years ago? That lines up with when the orphanage disappeared. Twenty years, huh.”
The top of the note contained information known only to team leader level within the Special Inspection Bureau.
Major incidents that hadn’t been leaked outside. They weren’t detailed, but even the outlines were dangerous enough.
He’d foreseen these twenty years ago? Kalligo held off on judgment and asked another question.
“Why keep it for twenty years? There must have been a reason you honored the request.”
“He could see the future. He had eyes unlike an ordinary person. Thanks to him, I avoided disaster, so I kept it as a way to repay that grace.”
“For someone who sees him as a benefactor, you seem awfully afraid of him.”
“I’m just an ordinary person. But he was different. He knew everything. You can tell just from how you all showed up here today, right? That’s why I’m afraid. His prophecies have never been wrong. And that’s why this moment terrifies me. Prophecies always come true.”
“So he gave you other prophecies besides this one.”
The old man clamped his mouth shut. As if he had no intention of speaking about that.
“I’ve delivered what needed delivering, so may I go now?”
He asked, turning back. Kalligo held the old man back.
“I know you don’t know much. But I can’t just let you go like this. Stay with us a bit longer. We’ll cover your eyes and ears.”
“He was right about this too. He said it would end up like this. It was fate, after all.”
The old man lowered his head in resignation. What had John told this old man?
He blocked the old man’s eyes and ears, then sat him down out of sight.
“If he’s got sharp ears, he might hear us. You okay with that?”
Guchi worried. Kalligo tapped his own ear and said,
“We put special earplugs in him—the kind we use. He wouldn’t hear a drum right next to him. The real issue is this note. It has information no ordinary person could know.”
“No ordinary person? What is it?”
Guchi asked back.
“Let’s call it internal secrets of the Surveillance Corps. Nothing fun even if you knew. The problem is one of the incidents listed here wasn’t even documented. I’m the only one who grasped its reality. But it’s written here.”
“There are no secrets in this world.”
“You’re right, but this case is different. I haven’t even reported it to the Emperor yet. It’s bizarre.”
Lander, who’d been watching, spoke up.
“More than that, mentioning ‘John’ is what gets me. Only the three of us here should know that name.”
“It’s no coincidence. Pointing me out, specifying John, listing Surveillance Corps cases. The weird part is it even states the reason for leaving the note and what I need to do next. Like he really saw the future.”
It felt ominous. Kalligo examined the note again. Paper bearing the full marks of time.
If it was really left twenty years ago, was ‘John’ a prophet, as the old man said?
“Prophets have appeared from time to time.”
Lander said.
“Yes. Rare cases, but they exist. But no records of one foreseeing twenty years ahead.”
“Prophecy actually exists? Not just the Central Cathedral and religions faking it to gather followers?”
Guchi’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Prophets do exist. It’s just that ones who can change the landscape are rare. Most have foresight that activates randomly. You can’t control when or what you see, so it has little strategic value. At least from what I know.”
“So they’re real. Being around you two teaches me all sorts of mystical stuff.”
“It’s a world full of inexplicable things. Magical beasts alone prove it. Boulders floating in the sky, individuals who can face legions—it’s all the same. Come to think of it, I’ve got one such person right next to me.”
Kalligo said, looking at Lander.
“May I see the note?”
“If it’s you, Lander, no problem. You’re a walking secret anyway.”
While Lander read the note, Kalligo organized the clues he’d gathered. Checking if they fit together, if it made sense.
The more he thought, the more his head throbbed. A prophet seeing twenty years ahead. If true, every power on the continent would scramble to capture ‘John’ alive.
“John definitely has a clear goal.”
Lander said, handing back the note.
“Yes. This is a real mess. The information gap is huge. If the prophecy is true—God forbid—the events at the bottom will happen. If false, internal Surveillance Corps info leaked, which is no small deal.”
“What do you think, Kalligo? I’ll leave judgment on this to you over me. Especially since John targeted you with the clue.”
As Kalligo pondered, Guchi held out his palm.
“Since we’re in this together, let me see it too. I already know the Empire’s hero is alive and well—what’s one more secret gonna do?”
“Fine. You’re at the top of the watch list now anyway, Guchi.”
“Not thrilled to hear it, but can’t be helped.”
He passed the note to Guchi, then finished organizing his thoughts. He didn’t like the info asymmetry, but he’d judge based on what he had.
“The moment ‘John’ was mentioned, I judged it true. No one could guess that. Listing internal Corps details adds credibility. From the structure, John seems to know my personality very well. Feels embarrassing, like a stranger saw right through me.”
“We should proceed assuming the prophecy is real.”
“I think so.”
Having read the note, Guchi spoke up.
“What do we do with this? It says what you need to do, Kalligo. Follow it?”
“Not my style, but no better option, so let’s wait. If John’s prophecy holds, dangerous guests will come here.”
“Waiting even knowing it’s a trap.”
“Very risky. If I were alone, I’d have cleared out the second I got this note. Set up surveillance outside and watched who came looking.”
Right or trick, staying here was bad judgment.
Abandon exposed positions—that’s basic strategy. But he chose to stay.
Simple reason. The leader was here. Kalligo shared the fact he’d pieced together from the clues.
“Let’s summarize. First, high chance John’s a prophet. Gained power from some magic experiment here. If innate, he’d have saved his family from disaster.”
“Or like you said, his foresight is erratic, so he couldn’t avoid the accident.”
Guchi said.
“Possible. John’s foresight being imperfect is inferable from the old man’s actions. If he foresaw us perfectly, the old man wouldn’t visit yearly. Just once, on the exact date John specified.”
“And the note only named you, Kalligo. Got the numbers right but not the members. Targeting you with the note and Corps-focused content suggests he can’t foresee everything.”
Lander’s analysis was spot-on. Kalligo nodded.
“If he had precise foresight, he wouldn’t leave a note like this. As you saw, it’s meant to guide my actions. ‘Dangerous people are heading there, so get out first.’ No reason if he saw the future perfectly and knew our moves.”
“Maybe it’s a ploy to keep us here?”
“If so, no need to send the old man. We planned to use this as base for Blue Norton investigation anyway. Or he foresaw us pulling out soon and sent him. Who knows. Judging prophecy is impossible.”
“Is what John wants your safety? Or your death?”
Guchi furrowed his brow. Kalligo wondered the same. What did John really want?
“I’ll think simply for now. With scant info, stick to the clear facts. John ran an illicit magic experiment here, gained foresight, and is using it to manipulate us.”
Naria was likely sacrificed in that process, Kalligo swallowed that thought. No need to voice known facts.
“The goal’s murky. Wasn’t John obsessed with punishing gods? Now he reveals himself to us, playing prophet. What’s a man who devoted his life to revenge getting at with this note?”
Guchi said, glancing at the altar.
“Simply put, like you said, Kalligo—moving you aids his revenge.”
“Nothing else comes to mind. Or maybe he witnessed something so huge he shelved revenge. My head hurts. Everything’s a variable from start to finish. Best vacation ever, in a twisted way. Not blaming you, Lander.”
He looked at the note.
“Why me, of all people? Because foresight showed only me, or because he needs me?”
“All we can do now is wait.”
Lander leaned against the wall, eyeing the cave entrance. If John’s prophecy was true, dangerous guests would arrive soon. Did they know about John? It’d help if they had info.
“Is the John who left the prophecy still alive? If so, what was Gilliuud doing? Nothing’s resolving properly. Feels like chasing wolves at midnight. Dirty, risky, exhausting.”
“Tell me about it.”
Agreeing with Guchi’s metaphor, he reread the note.
What was the identity of the wolf prowling at dead of night? He’d know soon.
But he didn’t think it dangerous.
A great hunter was here, after all.
(To be continued next time)