The Eleventh Study - Inflection Point of Fate (2)
Dreams had long been the exclusive domain of immortals. Yet among mortals, there were those who could freely traverse the realm of dreams. They were known as Dreamseers.
“Ughhh…”
“…”
Dreamseers gathered all kinds of information from within dreams: the past that had slipped away, the future yet to come, events unfolding in the present. It was said they could see many other things as well, but the precise nature of what Dreamseers witnessed in their visions remained shrouded in mystery.
Lore Acquired: Dreamseer Tradition!
Experience +10
Lore Point +1
Progress to Level 30: 60/100
Current Lore Points: 24
“Are the incubi attacking Elenstra?”
“You saw correctly. They’re unusually ferocious this time.”
Elenstra, who had been experiencing a prophetic dream, was currently under mental assault from the nightmare demons. Still, having endured the harsh training of her master, she was more than capable of handling mere incubi. The situation would change if a higher entity intervened, of course.
“Should a higher entity get involved, I will deal with it personally, so do not worry. The real problem is that the constellations have fallen into chaos. It means the spawn of the Abyss are being summoned—an omen of horrific slaughter.”
Tellorian, too, had caught the scent of demons drifting through the flow of the atmosphere. The demon worshippers who had been operating in secret were offering sacrifices to summon their masters. The usually impulsive demons were descending in perfect coordination.
There was only one explanation for such a phenomenon.
An order from a supreme entity that all feared.
The Queen of the Abyss had issued a direct command.
“Then I shall observe the movement of the sun.”
“An excellent choice. The actions of the Transcendents and the flow of fate are all written across the night sky, after all.”
Lore Acquired: Astronomy!
Experience +10
Lore Point +1
Progress to Level 30: 70/100
Current Lore Points: 25
He summoned a magitech scope and began observing the movements of the night sky. Since the orbits of the stars had diverged from the patterns he remembered, he calculated the altered trajectories and redrew the heavens accordingly.
“!”
The world line.
It had twisted.
The future line I observed through my past-life knowledge possessed the nature of [Order]. It was essentially a pre-written scenario.
However, Sinear RPG also contained random elements that changed with every playthrough. The Queen of the Abyss was now injecting variables into the world line, attempting to expand the domain of [Chaos].
As expected.
The Queen of the Abyss lacked long-term planning but excelled at improvisation. When a situation turned against her, she would abandon her existing scheme entirely and hurl unforeseen variables into the mix, rendering the world line unpredictable.
She must have noticed my existence as well.
The mother of the Abyss possessed an intuition bordering on precognition. She would have sensed that someone who knew the future had intervened to sabotage her plans. She likely didn’t know his exact identity yet…
The desert orcs overcame the drought on their own, and the high elves no longer assist the Abyss. At this point, the Three-Headed Dragon’s Descent has become an unviable plan.
Therefore.
She had thrown them in abruptly.
The pawns she had prepared for the Three-Headed Dragon’s Descent.
What if the surprise attack succeeds and the central region is overthrown?
Evil would run rampant as planned.
What if it fails and ends as nothing more than moderate chaos?
Even then, events that had never existed in the original world line would occur. They would snowball violently and crush the world line he knew into oblivion.
So what should our response be?
It was simple.
They simply had to stop protecting the existing world line.
In summary:
The Queen of the Abyss had realized her plan had collapsed.
Therefore, she intended to shatter the world line into ruin.
Hence, this side no longer needed to safeguard it either.
Inflection Point of Fate
The distortion of the world line has been acknowledged!
Research Clue 1/5
Experience +10
Lore Point +1
Progress to Level 30: 80/100
Current Lore Points: 26
I have no reason to remain bound by the scenarios from my gaming days. I have already accomplished things that were impossible in the original story.
He had elevated Belladia to queen and saved the kingdom from destruction. He had given the silver serpent a name and prevented her fall into corruption. He had also awakened Belkan early, averting the racial war entirely.
And above all else, there was one critical achievement.
Something that had been utterly impossible in the original narrative.
“It’s been a while, my friend.”
“…”
“You look terrible.”
The devil prince of Gehenna, summoned after so long, appeared like a complete wreck. The grand duke of Gehenna—who had always insisted on the most dignified attire—now looked as ragged as a beggar.
“…Send me back.”
The demon spoke in a voice both lifeless and threatening.
“I have no desire to meet or speak with anyone. Send me back before I tear your soul to shreds.”
Only despair filled Lucifeles’s vacant eyes. The cursed prince had realized the destruction that awaited him, and he understood there was no escape from the fate his father had decreed.
“I will send you back.”
“…Good.”
“But I’m coming with you.”
“…”
“You invited me before, didn’t you?”
“…Only if you stop bothering me.”
“I promise.”
Shing!
A portal opened.
Leading to Gehenna.
Just as Lucifeles possesses the potential to bring about the end of the world, he also holds the potential to prevent it.
The Hell Monarch’s plan for the apocalypse was for Lucifeles to die and be reborn as a human through his own son.
I’ll use that plan against him.
He would turn Lucifeles of Gehenna into the dagger that would destroy the Hell Monarch.
If the Hell Monarch falls, the Seven Hells will collapse. And if the Seven Hells collapse, the Abyss will be forced to face the heavenly legions alone.
After that.
He would join the heavenly forces and bring an end to the Abyss as well.
This was the new world line he intended to present.
Inflection Point of Fate
A new world line has been proposed!
Research Clue 2/5
Experience +10
Lore Point +1
Progress to Level 30: 90/100
Current Lore Points: 27
Therefore, I must bring Lucifeles firmly to my side.
He stepped through the portal.
Toward the palace of the demon archduke.
Gehenna was a barren wasteland where volcanic ash swirled and the stench of sulfur hung heavy in the air. The only sounds were the battle cries of the devil legions training relentlessly and the screams of miners who could not die even when buried alive in the shafts.
You have witnessed Gehenna!
Experience +10
Lore Point +1
Level Up!
Progress to Level 31: 0/100
Current Lore Points: 28
“What a beautiful place.”
“…Stop bothering me already.”
Lucifeles spat flames as he warped away to his private quarters. In his place appeared a female devil with neat features and refined attire.
“Welcome, O Grey Sage.”
“You know who I am? Hellmaiden.”
“Of course. Every time my master enjoyed his meals, he would endlessly praise your magnificent intellect and vast knowledge.”
This bastard.
All he ever did was curse me.
“How long has he been holed up in his room?”
“It has been half a year now.”
Half a year.
Right after he learned the truth.
“Does he still watch the plays?”
“He visits the private theater from time to time.”
So his mind hadn’t completely hit rock bottom yet.
It meant he was still at a stage where recovery was possible.
“Guide me to the annex.”
“Understood.”
“Not Hall Two. Hall One.”
“Hall One is strictly forbidden to guests by order of the master——”
Fwoosh!
He unfurled the Diabolic Codex.
“Diabolic Codex, Chapter Four, Article Twelve. A guest invited to a noble’s residence has the right to demand hospitality of the following standard. The host must personally come to the entrance, smile, and greet the guest…”
You have terrified the devil!
Experience +10
Lore Point +1
Progress to Level 31: 10/100
Current Lore Points: 29
“F-forgive me, O Sage!”
“Hmm.”
“Please don’t turn me into a slave!”
“That will depend on how well you serve me.”
The Grey Sage gave a wicked smile.
“You have violated several clauses regarding the rights and duties of servants listed in Chapter Twelve of the Diabolic Codex. However, I will not file a lawsuit. Not as long as you treat me with proper hospitality.”
“Eeeeek!”
“I-I shall obey!”
You have deceived the devil!
Experience +10
Lore Point +1
Progress to Level 31: 20/100
Current Lore Points: 30
In truth, no such clause exists.
However, even in Hell, very few possessed the complete edition of the Diabolic Codex. Therefore, a mid-ranking devil like Hellmaiden would find it safest to simply obey his demands.
“…But is this really alright?”
Hellmaiden trembled violently.
“If my master learns that I allowed a guest into Hall One without permission… I will suffer a punishment so horrific it defies imagination.”
Hmm.
A reasonable concern.
He would certainly do exactly that.
“Then would you prefer to be tortured by me right now?”
“I-I’m sorry! I’ll open it immediately!”
Creeeak!
Hellmaiden opened the dimensional gate leading to Hall One and vanished without delay. After all, even looking inside the place was strictly forbidden.
“…”
The moment he stepped through the portal, a landscape drastically different from Gehenna unfolded. Against a brilliant blue sky where the sun shone gloriously stood a majestic cathedral. It was the image of the homeland that Lucifeles’s mother had remembered.
“…”
As he walked into the cathedral, he imagined the despair a noble princess who had lived her entire life as the Sun God’s Chosen must have felt upon seeing the scenery of Hell.
The young Lucifeles had wanted to comfort his mother. So he used magic to create a space that closely resembled the homeland she remembered.
New Lore Acquired: Lore of the Soul
Remaining Lore Points: 15
“O mana.”
Hell was a spiritual realm composed of souls. Therefore, the more intense the memory, the clearer the lingering thoughts remained, making it easier to restore them.
Memory Restoration
Reveal the traces of the soul!
An illusion appeared against the background of a fountain. A young cambion prince whose horns had not yet grown looked up at a noble human queen with an excited expression.
“Mother! Do you like it?”
“…Did you prepare this for me?”
“Yes! This son personally visited Mother’s homeland and recreated it! Whenever you feel homesick amid your heavy duties, please visit the annex to soothe your longing.”
The mother shed tears and silently embraced her son. The child then cried out even more earnestly.
“Mother! Please wait for the day when I am recognized as Father’s true successor! When that day comes, Father will surely grant you freedom…!”
Yet the prouder she felt of her son, the more sorrowfully she wept. She knew his wish could never come true.
“…”
Leaving the afterimage behind, he walked with heavy steps deeper into the cathedral. Inside, he sensed not mere lingering thoughts, but a sacred soul.
However.
It was not a complete soul.
“…”
Beneath the gleaming stained glass, he saw a queen kneeling. She was offering prayers to the Sun God, even though she knew no answer would come.
“It has been a long time since we last had a visitor.”
A voice as elegant as an angel’s.
Perfectly suited to praising the glory of the Sun God.
“But you are not the one I was waiting for.”
“Were you waiting for your son?”
Lucifeles’s mother had been the princess of Erbonia and the Sun God’s Chosen. Yet because she had accepted the Hell Monarch’s proposal in order to bear the sins of her people, later generations would call her the Redeemer of Erbonia.
A brilliant golden soul.
Yet one whose light was fading.
“No.”
She looked utterly exhausted.
There was no life left in her eyes.
“I hope Riankal never comes to see me again. Every meeting would only remind us both of a despair from which we can never escape…”
…
The person before him was not the complete Redeemer.
She was merely a fragment of the soul she had once possessed.
“You are waiting for annihilation.”
“That is correct. After visiting the cathedral that Riankal built for me one last time… I swore I would never seek the Sun God or Riankal again.”
It seemed she had wanted to be reborn as a true queen of Hell. That had been the only way to free herself from eternal suffering.
“I never committed any sin in my entire life.”
“…”
“On the contrary, I lived only to give and to help others. Yet the fate given to me was unbearably cruel.”
She no longer.
Wanted to make sacrifices.
Nor did she want to suffer any longer.
“So I split my soul in half, abandoned it here, and left. I gave up my own nobility and was reborn as the queen of Hell.”
…
“And so I remain here, suffering only within illusions. If you pity me, please destroy this soul. I simply wish to rest.”
You have witnessed the Severed Soul!
Experience +10
Lore Point +1
Progress to Level 31: 30/100
Current Lore Points: 16
“If that is what you wish, I can grant you rest.”
“Then do not hesitate. Show me mercy.”
“But first, hear my plan.”
Because I.
Have a plan to save Riankal.
And I require your cooperation.