Chapter 333: Records of the Past – Head Butler Ruet Damiro Yul (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 333: Records of the Past – Head Butler Ruet Damiro Yul (3)
"What the hell… is this bullshit!"
Silderay roared.
The recording abilities of the Fairy Race, Ruet’s included, had never once shown a falsehood. Yet now, the record windows were describing events that were demonstrably false.
The five Magic Towers of the Pailin Kingdom had been attacked by Runcandel last year, and the year before that as well.
"Ugh!"
Suddenly, Ruet began to retch.
It was a visceral reaction, born from the cognitive dissonance of witnessing history being manipulated in real-time. To behold reality being rewritten as it happened was a shock to the psyche beyond all imagination.
"Head Butler! We have to tell the scribes! We have to write this down, now!"
As Sarah caught the collapsing Ruet, Diana shouted. Just as she said, everyone present needed to document this phenomenon before they completely forgot the fact that history was being fabricated.
At her command, the magic swordsmen and Guardian Knights nearby rushed into the castle.
"Head Butler! Pull yourself together! You mustn't forget. What's written in these record windows is a lie. Head Butler! Head Butler!"
Ruet trembled violently, unable to answer.
Soon, she lost consciousness and collapsed, leaving only the bewildered voices of the Ten Great Knights to scatter into the howling wind and rain.
* * *
Half a year passed.
The butlers and scribes of Storm Castle no longer recorded the history of the Fairy Race.
They had been forgotten by the world.
It wasn't that the very existence of the Fairy Race had vanished from memory, as if they had never existed at all.
However, the fact that the Fairy Queen, Ruet Damiro Yul, had met Temar Runcandel and stood with him against Zipple was gone.
The desperate struggle of the entire Fairy Race, who had bled to prevent Zipple’s history manipulation, had been erased.
Even the common folk now remembered the Fairy Race as a people who had gone extinct in the distant past.
This was despite the fact that thousands of forgotten Fairies—who had even forgotten themselves—were still alive and breathing.
"I am sorry, Ruet."
A man spoke while looking at Ruet’s back.
It was Temar.
"The Patriarch has nothing to be sorry for."
When Temar didn't respond, Ruet continued.
"Do you perhaps think the Fairy Race was erased from history because I met you?"
"Yes. If you hadn't met me, the Fairy Race would never have been targeted by Zipple…"
"Patriarch, do not speak such nonsense. When Zipple manipulates history, who would be their first target for elimination? Runcandel? No. Regardless of their relationship with Runcandel, they would have eliminated the Fairy Race first anyway."
In fact, after becoming Runcandel’s Head Butler, Ruet had discovered while reviewing records that Zipple was already manipulating the history of the Fairy Race.
She and Temar had met five years ago.
But the manipulation of the Fairy Race's history had begun eight years ago.
Therefore, she did not believe Temar was responsible for her people's history being erased. On the contrary, she felt a deep sense of gratitude toward him.
If she hadn't met him, she would likely have lost herself and been forgotten by the world, just like the rest of her kin.
"Thanks to the immense power of your existence, I have remained unforgotten and can continue to fight Zipple. So, please, never say you are sorry to me again."
Temar nodded heavily.
"…And you, I, and the Ten Great Knights still remember that the Fairy Race fought alongside Runcandel. Solderet remembers, as do Lord Murakan and Lady Misha."
The power of existence Temar possessed wasn't limited to him alone; those deeply influenced by him also benefited from it.
Thanks to that, the individuals Ruet just mentioned still accurately perceived the history of the Fairy Race.
However, both of them knew all too well that as time passed, even they were slowly forgetting the Fairies.
The only person completely immune to Zipple’s history manipulation was Temar.
Even half a year ago, when Runcandel struck the Magic Towers of the Pailin Kingdom, only Temar had perceived that the history being manipulated in real-time was a lie.
But human memory is a fragile thing. In the end, it is bound to be worn away by time. Furthermore, a memory is like a person; it cannot exist alone.
If there is no one else to listen to or validate that memory, it eventually loses all power. It loses its meaning.
"I am worried about you, Patriarch."
"What is there to worry about me?"
"Everyone is relying too much on you alone. And lately, it seems you are trying to protect too many people, pushing yourself beyond your limits."
Ever since Temar realized that his influence could delay Zipple’s history manipulation, he had been trying to keep as many people by his side as possible.
"I've always had many people around me."
"Of course. But you never used to meet people without even sleeping, like you do now. When was the last time you closed your eyes? Ten days ago?"
"It seems to have been about that long. But you know I don't really need sleep…"
"Even you are human in the end, Patriarch. You are not a god or a monster. If you keep going like this, your mind will reach its breaking point."
The sound of footsteps approached from outside.
"Patriarch, Head Butler."
Sarah entered the office with a dark expression.
There must be bad news, Temar and Ruet thought. It was always like this when Sarah wasn't being playful.
"Starting this morning, Padler began to lose his memory of the Fairy Race. He can't remember, no matter how hard he tries…"
Even when the other Ten Great Knights who still remembered told him stories about the Fairy Race, Padler could not understand what they were talking about.
Worse, he would forget again just minutes after hearing the stories.
The world was becoming a massive stage for a play, written to Zipple’s liking.
Within that play, the members of Runcandel were slowly being gripped by terror. No matter how strong a person's mental fortitude, it was impossible to continuously endure the sight of their known reality crumbling away.
"We need a way to leave a record that those bastards can never touch," Sarah said, biting her lower lip. "Patriarch—no, Brother! I can't take this anymore. I'm going to go find that witch in the Black Sea. Lokia said that if it's a witch, there might be a way. A way to stop Zipple’s history manipulation…"
Lokia was one of the Ten Great Knights. She was also the most skilled mage in Runcandel, relying solely on magic rather than swordsmanship.
"Sarah, you can't do that."
"Why?"
"That woman is a disaster. There's no telling what will happen if you make contact with her carelessly."
"Brother."
Sarah took a breath before continuing.
"At this rate, Runcandel is doomed. You know that they've started manipulating the history of Runcandel itself, not just the Fairy Race."
"If you wake Heluram, it might not just be Runcandel, but the whole world that is doomed."
"A world without Runcandel has no meaning to me."
"Sarah!"
"Everyone is pinning their hopes on you, Brother. We want to do something, too. Rather than just being victims of this, I feel like I'd even sell my soul to a devil."
"I'll pretend I didn't hear that, Sarah. And tell Lokia never to speak of Heluram again."
When Sarah didn't respond, Temar hugged her gently.
"I know it's hard. But it's not as if I have no plan. Soon, I will meet with the other gods alongside Solderet."
"Did the gods say they would help?"
"It's not certain. But Solderet said the atmosphere seemed cooperative."
Sarah nodded reluctantly.
Even with the greatest strength among the Ten Great Knights, she found it unbearable that there was nothing she could do.
"And I'm saying this because I'm worried: do not even think about contacting Heluram against my orders. This is an order as your Patriarch."
"I understand."
The siblings were lying to each other.
Solderet had already failed to persuade the gods, and Sarah had no intention of following Temar’s order. She did not trust the vast majority of gods who had already succumbed to Zipple.
Once Sarah left, Temar let out a deep sigh.
"I'm afraid she's going to cause trouble. I'll have to tell Diana to keep a close eye on her."
In truth, Temar and Ruet were already considering the worst-case scenario.
They had seen Solderet occasionally attempting to leave some kind of message for a Contractor of a Thousand Years. Ruet, in particular, had even assisted Solderet in that process.
Of course, that didn't mean they had given up the fight against Zipple.
They simply had an ominous intuition that this terrible, long struggle might continue even after their era had ended. Therefore, preparations were needed for the next generation, and the one after that, and the one after that.
It was only natural, as they lacked the certainty that they could win in their own time.
"But Sarah’s words aren't entirely without merit, Ruet."
"Yes, Patriarch."
"Contacting Heluram directly is dangerous, but her lover is a different story. Find out the whereabouts of the Beast Demon King, Orgal."
* * *
Whirrr…
The recording device stopped there.
Jin remained lost in thought for a long while, unable to say a word.
[You have seen it all. How was it?] Ruet asked.
"…It's shocking. I didn't realize Zipple’s history manipulation was this severe."
Decades. No, they could manipulate the history of the Fairy Race, which spanned tens of thousands of years, at will.
He could say for certain: that was something even gods could not do.
That must be why the records mentioned the gods surrendering to Zipple.
For the first time, he felt a flicker of doubt about whether it was even possible to defeat Zipple.
But Jin quickly shook off that feeling.
If those bastards were still as powerful today as they were a thousand years ago, Runcandel wouldn't even exist in the first place. They must have paid a tremendous price to break the Runcandel of that era.
What that price was couldn't be seen in this record, but he had gained more information here than from any of Solderet’s records he had checked so far.
In particular, he could feel Zipple’s transcendent power more acutely than ever.
To deal with Zipple, my Master is the key.
Just as his thoughts naturally reached that point…
[Sir Jin, two days must have already passed outside,] Ruet spoke.
"Two days?"
Jin flinched and met Ruet’s eyes.
If two days had passed, it was possible that one of his 'enemies' had already raided the cave of the small Beastmen.
—I will return as quickly as possible. So that no one gets hurt.
He remembered the promise he had made to Neru of the Catfolk tribe.
[From your expression, it seems there is urgent business outside.]
"There are people I promised to save. My coming here has put Beastmen in danger of dying."
[Then you must leave at once.]
Ruet’s firm answer made his chest feel tight.
"If I leave this place, will you be alone again, Lady Ruet? And will I forget my memories of you…?"
Ruet nodded calmly.
[You will only remember the version of me you saw in the recording device. As for me personally… but Sir Jin, I am effectively a dead and forgotten person anyway. Saving the living people outside is far more valuable than soothing my loneliness.]
"…I will come back. I promise."
There were too many Beastmen who might die without knowing why for him to hesitate out of pity.
Ruet gave a faint smile.
She was reminded of Temar, who had once said the exact same thing to her.