The Beginning of the Cataclysm (1)

Ssssshh—

Silence fell over the surroundings.

Float, float.

With the trial of the Sea Moon Mother concluded, tiny jellyfish drifted peacefully around the lake.

Glowing with a soft blue light, the tiny larvae floated in the air, twinkling like stars in the night sky.

"What is this...?"

Adelia looked around, slightly flustered.

The baby jellyfish had begun to circle around her in a gentle orbit.

The tiny creatures repeatedly brushed against her body before drifting away, as if they had taken a special liking to her.

"Whoa! They're so cute!"

Watching them with envious eyes, Doricco Shiro couldn't resist the urge and leaped up from her spot.

"Me too! Let me touch them, too—aaack!"

Zap!

A sharp scream rang out.

The tentacle of one of the tiny jellyfish had stung Doricco Shiro's palm.

"So mean! Why are you only being nasty to me?!"

"..."

I stared at her in disbelief, thinking to myself.

Why do you think, you dummy?

It's because you took the lead in torturing and corrupting their mother.

When I gave her a look that reminded her of this fact, Doricco Shiro flinched, looking guilty.

"...Ah."

Her lips parted, but she quickly slumped in disappointment.

Staring at her red, swollen palm, she muttered in a sad voice.

"It's not fair... I-I only did what 'they' told me to do..."

What?

She only did what they told her to do?

Wondering if she actually believed that, I asked her.

"Is that true?"

"No, actually, that was a lie."

"..."

"To be honest, torturing and corrupting a divine beast was actually kind of fun. It's not an experience you can easily get anywhere, right?"

"..."

"B-but my love for our Jelly was absolutely real!"

Sigh.

I let out a sigh as I listened to her ridiculous excuses.

There was no point in continuing this conversation.

Anyway.

I had achieved all my goals in coming here.

First, the corrupted Sky Ocean Forest had been restored to its original state.

Thanks to Adelia's performance and the Easter Egg I had obtained early on, we even managed to hatch over a dozen Sea Moon Mother larvae.

And...

...I got the skill I wanted.

The one skill I absolutely had to obtain before meeting the Crimson Empress.

In fact, the main reason I visited the Sky Ocean Forest before heading to the Wintersield Magic Academy was precisely for this.

On top of that, Adelia finally acquired that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ability.

The special skill, Reflective Surface.

It was a blessing granted to those who passed the trial of the Sea Moon Mother.

It allowed the user to perfectly review their own battles, as if they could rewind time to that past moment and experience it all over again.

It's a useless skill for me.

I didn't even need to review my battles.

After all, with the overwhelming swordsmanship talent granted by the Soul of the Sword Master, the optimal choice was always visible to my eyes.

But it's different for Adelia.

Combined with her genius talent, this ability would help her achieve explosive growth.

With it, Adelia would perfectly absorb the lessons of every battle, growing at a rate that could only be described as evolutionary.

Oh, right.

And I can't forget this either.

The alliance with Doricco Shiro.

As I've said multiple times, this relationship will serve as a useful tool until the late stages of the story.

Perfect.

Everything went exactly as I wanted.

Therefore, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that this raid on the Sky Ocean Forest dungeon was a resounding success.

However...

...There is still one last purpose for stopping by this place.

Yes.

Now was the time to fulfill that final objective.

"Doricco Shiro."

"Yeah?"

Hearing my voice, Doricco Shiro snapped her head toward me.

"There is something I want to ask you."

"Oh! Really?"

Doricco Shiro's face brightened instantly.

"Ask me anything! I'll tell you everyth—"

"Before we arrived, did anyone else visit the Sky Ocean Forest?"

"...Huh? Uh, well..."

Doricco Shiro ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠suddenly looked troubled and began to avoid my gaze.

"W-well, who knows? I'm not really sure...?"

Seriously. Just like in the game, she was a terrible liar.

Well, it didn't matter.

Even without Doricco Shiro's direct testimony, there were plenty of ways to obtain the physical evidence I needed.

For example...

"Here is the item you requested. I couldn't bring both... but one should be enough."

Just like the holy relic Arwen packed for me before we left Midtemple.

I reached into my coat.

Then, I pulled out the holy relic I had kept safely in my inner pocket.

"Huh?"

Upon seeing it, Adelia's eyes widened, and she cried out in surprise.

"T-that is..."

"Your brother gave it to me."

"...!"

Adelia gasped.

Trying to calm her startled heart, she asked again.

"Did you borrow that holy relic through the proper legal procedures?"

"No."

"..."

There was no time for that.

Even if I had followed the proper procedures, the Traditionalists would have rejected it for political reasons anyway.

Aether's Eye of Retrospect.

That was the name of the holy relic in my hand.

This orb, which looked like a blue eyeball at first glance, was one of Midtemple's most precious holy relics.

Toss!

I threw the Eye of Retrospect into the air.

The blue eyeball began to float in the void.

Hummmm, hummm!

Aether, the goddess who presides over truth and justice.

As the light imbued with her authority poured down, scenes from the past began to manifest like a hologram.

Soon, the illusions of two people were projected over the lake.

"...!"

Adelia's eyes went wide.

One ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was Doricco ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Shiro, who was currently standing right beside us.

And the other standing next to her was...

"...J-Jacques von Heibrun?"

Adelia muttered in disbelief.

Hummmm, hummm.

The illusion continued.

Doricco Shiro gestured as if explaining something, and Jacques von Heibrun silently nodded.

A sinister aura hung over his expression.

Flash!

A moment later, the scene shifted.

Jacques von Heibrun stood alone on the lake, and in front of him, the Sea Moon Mother, turned a dark crimson, writhed in agony.

Screeech!

The Sea Moon Mother's shriek echoed, but Jacques von Heibrun merely watched the scene without a single change in his expression.

After staring at it for a long time, he turned his back and walked away.

The illusion ended there.

"..."

Adelia's face turned deathly pale.

After a long silence, she squeezed out a response.

"T-this... must be a misunderstanding."

"..."

"Sir Jacques von Heibrun may have different political views, but he is someone who truly cares for Midtemple."

She turned to look at me and continued.

"H-he must have been tricked by Doricco Shiro. It looks like he's just standing by and watching the Sea Moon Mother's corruption, but in reality, couldn't Sir Heibrun have been under the influence of an illusion?"

Adelia's voice trembled slightly.

She was desperately denying reality, but she, too, knew how ridiculous her words sounded.

Aether's Eye of Retrospect does not lie.

If Jacques von Heibrun had tried to protect the Sea Moon Mother, there should have been at least one scene showing him clashing with Doricco Shiro...

But there was no such thing.

Of course not. Even in the original story, Jacques von Heibrun had already fallen to the temptation of the evil gods.

"Doricco Shiro."

I turned my head.

"Tell the truth."

"T-that is..."

Doricco Shiro bit her lip nervously and avoided my gaze, repeatedly rubbing her red, swollen palm that had been stung by the jellyfish tentacle.

Unable to watch her struggle any longer, I added a word.

"Friends are supposed to tell each other the truth."

"...!"

"If you trust me, answer honestly."

Doricco Shiro looked at me with a bewildered expression.

"F-friend...?"

Her lips twitched.

Even as she hesitated, the corners of her mouth crept upward. I could see an uncontrollable joy coursing through her entire body.

Barely suppressing her emotions, Doricco Shiro finally began to spill everything.

"I-I didn't cast any illusions."

"..."

"And that old man accepted 'their' proposal directly. He agreed to stand by and watch the divine beast get corrupted in exchange for the power he wanted!"

"..."

"Of course, the contract fell through at the last minute... but 'they' are absolutely sure that the old man will return soon. It's true!"

Doricco Shiro's definitive testimony was complete.

Her statements were also fully recorded in Aether's Eye of Retrospect.

...Good.

With this, I had obtained everything I needed. I now had a legitimate justification to execute Jacques von Heibrun in Midtemple in the future.

I slipped the floating Eye of Retrospect back into my coat.

Then, I expressed my gratitude to Doricco Shiro.

"Thank you for speaking honestly."

Doricco Shiro stared at me intently, swallowing hard, looking as if she were desperately waiting for something.

"...Friend."

"...!"

When I finally added that word, Doricco Shiro's face lit up. Her body seemed to melt with joy in an instant.

"Heh, hehe... friend..."

Whoosh—!

Right at that moment, a chilling bloodlust radiated from somewhere.

Turning around, I saw Adelia, her face flushed red, gritting her teeth.

"How dare he... How dare he commit such a disgraceful act while bearing the name of Midtemple's great pillar...!"

She whipped around to face me and shouted.

"Sir Gaon! We must return to the Holy City of Midtemple immediately and reveal this truth! We must hold a sacred trial and make Jacques von Heibrun pay for walking the path of heresy—"

"Calm down."

I stopped Adelia.

"Now is not the time."

"But...!"

"I believe I've told you this many times. There is an order to all things."

"..."

Jacques von Heibrun's disposal was certainly necessary, but it wasn't an urgent matter that had to be executed right this second.

The timing and method of his execution were already calculated separately.

Returning to Midtemple right now would only exacerbate the political chaos.

On the other hand, the physical evidence we secured had become a card we could play at any time.

Revealing Jacques's betrayal had to happen at the moment I wanted, in the way I wanted.

Every action has its optimal timing. If you disrupt that order, things will inevitably get complicated.

Therefore...

"Trust my words, Adelia. There are things we must do before exposing Jacques von Heibrun's crimes. For now, we must move according to plan."

"..."

I couldn't keep the Crimson Empress waiting any longer.

Considering the Shadow Society's 'ritual', timing-wise, heading to Wintersield right now was the perfect window.

Above all...

Ding!

The message that had popped up before my eyes a moment ago.

"..."

The worst-case scenario I had feared had become reality.

Another player had possessed a body in this world.

Therefore.

I must head to Wintersield as quickly as possible.

Ding!