Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: The Prophecy of the King
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North Coast, Frozen Tundra.
A land where the north wind howls and only the huddled vegetation clings to life.
The Centaur Tamaridu stood with arms crossed, looking down at the outsider.
The outsider was an Elf Prophet, the very one Tamaridu had been searching for over the past few weeks.
This Elf Prophet had spread a single tale across the plains and the North Coast, nagging at Tamaridu's mind.
And so, the Iron Hoof Tribe's Tamaridu had sought out the originator of that tale—and succeeded.
"Prophet."
"Yes."
"Tell me the story you've been spreading far and wide across this land."
"Very well. This is a prophecy soon to come true..."
The prophet began his tale.
"In the near future, a 'King' shall arrive. When the King comes, the order of the world will be remade. Those who now reign will lose their seats, and those who roam the land freely will lose their way."
"A king, you say."
"Yes."
Tamaridu asked,
"What is this king?"
"One before whom all bow their heads."
"Do you mean the tribal chiefs of each tribe?"
"No. Even the tribal chiefs will bow before him."
Tamaridu was the chieftain of a great Centaur tribe.
Yet he had never bowed his head to anyone.
Except for one being.
"Is this king speaking of a god?"
The prophet shook his head.
"No. But the gods do not dwell on this land. The king, however, will."
"A chieftain of chieftains, one who places only gods above him."
"Exactly."
Tamaridu struck his chest with one hand.
"Then it must mean me."
"Regrettably, no."
Tamaridu stared in wonder at the prophet who dared contradict him. Few had ever spoken such words before.
He decided to let the story continue a bit longer.
"Then are you speaking of the Lizardmen?"
Tamaridu thought to himself.
Recently, tales had come from the south of Lizardmen called the Black Scale Tribe.
Because of the vast territory ruled by the One-Eared Nols, their existence had only recently come to light after they fled.
Tamaridu marveled at the world's vastness, but he wasn't afraid of them.
'I've encountered Lizardmen myself. They fear the cold, sluggish and slow. No different from other races—they rely on numbers to flaunt their strength.'
The prophet said,
"Those Lizardmen are indeed strong and fearsome. But they will never reach this North Coast. A mighty one blocks their path."
"Ha, that must mean me."
"Yes. Precisely."
"Then who in the world is this king you speak of?"
The prophet turned his gaze north.
It looked like empty land, but beyond a few low hills lay the domain ruled by Ogres.
"The one who will become king is a giant. He stands on two legs upon the earth with a massive frame, seated upon a stone outcrop. Even Centaurs cannot match his strength, and his wisdom surpasses that of Elves. He dwells in the north."
"You're saying I won't become king?"
"Yes."
"That I must serve that Ogre chieftain Kazin as my king?"
"Yes."
"Wrong, pointy-ears."
At those words, the Elf Prophet turned toward Tamaridu.
But before he could see him, his head fell.
Tamaridu swung his beloved massive axe through the air, shaking off the Elf's blood.
"I, Tamaridu, bow to no one but the gods."
A barren wind blew over the Elf Prophet's corpse.
The Elf god Eldar gazed indifferently at his prophet.
Eldar's first Subdomain had been 'Art'.
Unlike most Subdomains, it held little value in the early game and required convoluted buildup, earning it low regard.
'Of course, from now on, it'll be useful.'
Seong-un had explained to Eldar how to use the Subdomain, and Eldar had followed suit.
Just as other Subdomains allowed 'Creation' at the first level, Art could instill 'Inspiration' in an individual at its first level.
Unlike revelations through dreams, the inspired individual became enamored with it themselves. They believed it was their own idea and wanted to spread it through stories, poems, paintings, dances, or plays—artistic acts. And this inspiration was contagious.
Thus, Eldar had planted a false prophecy in a wandering Elf, who then proclaimed himself a prophet and spread the tale among the tribes.
Eldar said to Seong-un,
"Is this truly enough, my lord?"
"What do you mean?"
Following Seong-un's lead had only cost a wandering Elf and a bit of Faith anyway, so even if it had no effect, it wasn't a big deal.
But Seong-un's confidence puzzled him.
Eldar said,
"We've confirmed that Tamaridu, chieftain of the Centaur tribe, has high 'Pride' among his special stats, and we've successfully stoked his anger... But I doubt this alone will sow discord between the Centaurs and Ogres."
"Why do you think that?"
"Even if Tamaridu harbors hostility toward the Ogre tribe, the one controlling him is ultimately a god."
Seong-un readily agreed with Eldar.
"Exactly why it's even better."
"Better, you say?"
"When a player's thoughts align with those of the tribe they control, it's a fine state—even if it leads their race and tribe to defeat. But what if the player's thoughts diverge from the tribe's?"
"Ah."
Eldar finally nodded in understanding.
Lost World wasn't intuitive for directly controlling and moving each entity.
When Lost World first launched, players hadn't developed ways to maneuver tribes via Subdomains, earning mockery as a mere spectator game.
Forcing entities to move required massive Faith expenditure, like Possession, and even that was limited.
Seong-un added,
"Honestly, I don't know what strategy the Centaurs' god Solongos is plotting. But I guarantee Solongos can't rely on a 'loose alliance' forever."
"May I ask why?"
Seong-un explained,
"Settled folk can grow indefinitely based on land. But Centaurs are ultimately raiders. The Ogre tribe, in a somewhat harsh environment, will develop through local produce. Centaurs, allied with a massive settled power nearby, must raid minor NPC tribes for growth—and that hits a limit. That's likely the strategy Im Chun-sik, the Ogre god, chose from the start."
"Ah!"
Eldar pieced it together.
"Keep the early-game strong Centaurs friendly, then swallow them once the gap widens in mid-game?"
"Something like that."
Seong-un said,
"I'm not planting a new conspiracy in the North Coast. Just reminding them of a forgotten fact—or accelerating one they'll learn soon. Hegemonia realized it early and fled, but Solongos didn't."
Centaur chieftain Tamaridu was already beginning to harbor hostility toward the Ogres.
'What about their god, Solongos?'
From Seong-un's view, whether Solongos kept trusting Im Chun-sik or not was fine.
Trusting him would clash with priest Tamaridu; doubting him would clash with Im Chun-sik.
Eldar said worriedly,
"But what if Tamaridu doesn't believe this tale? It's a prophecy, but not real—just speculation. He seems angry now, but..."
"Then make it real."
"Pardon?"
Seong-un suppressed a grin.
"You'll keep helping, right?"
Even after the Elf Prophet's death, the prophecy lingered in Iron Hoof Centaur chieftain Tamaridu's mind.
It was the power of 'Inspiration' from Eldar's Art Subdomain, though Tamaridu had no way of knowing.
Tamaridu obsessed over the word 'king,' discussing with his subordinates whether he possessed kingly qualities and how other chieftains lacked them.
He knew he was obsessed.
'To escape this obsession, I must become king.'
But according to the prophecy, one couldn't become king just by wanting to.
'I must be served by others. But who in this wild plain knows Tamaridu's name?'
As if fate heard his sigh, three guests arrived.
The first was an Elf from the Green-Eye Tribe.
Longtime allies, so Tamaridu thought nothing of it—until the Elf mentioned the prophecy upon sitting.
"Have you heard the tale of the king?"
"I have."
"That the prophesied king refers to Ogre chieftain Kazin?"
At that, Tamaridu clenched his fist and struck a tent pole. The massive tent, like a stable, shook violently.
"Are you here to say Kazin will be king too?"
"No, Chieftain Tamaridu. Quite the opposite—I come to say you must become king. Kazin may seem gentle but is dull; he looks strong but fears wielding that strength, a coward. We must defy the prophecy."
Tamaridu's heart wavered at the idea of defying the prophecy.
'I've only worried it would come true. But what is a mere prophecy? If I overcome it, that's that, right?'
The second guest was a human from Autocity.
He'd heard rumors of the place and knew its fame.
The human said nothing of the prophecy.
He brought a more astonishing tale.
"Are you Tamaridu, the king?"
"What?"
Tamaridu felt the temptation to say yes but shook his head.
"No, I am no king."
"Ah, tales in Autocity say a Centaur king has appeared, so I assumed you were he."
"Such... rumors?"
"Rumors? Our Autocity lord sent these gifts to maintain good relations now that a king has appeared."
Tamaridu was stunned by the exotic gifts.
And regretful.
"But I'm no king, so you should take them back."
"Nonsense."
The human from Autocity shook his head.
"Such rumors mean you're soon to be king, no? At least, you have the qualities."
"But..."
"Just keep them. No need to waste a second trip."
With that, Tamaridu reluctantly accepted the treasures.
But he couldn't help but be wary of the third guest.
The third was a Lizardman from the Black Scale Tribe.
Unlike the others, they were pastoral like the Centaurs.
Both enjoyed battle and had fought the One-Eared Nol tribe. 'Enemy of my enemy is friend' worked for settlers, not nomads—for them, sharing an enemy meant destined to clash someday.
Tamaridu considered sending the third guest away.
'But all today's guests spoke of kings—and called me one. If this isn't coincidence...'
After deliberation, Tamaridu received the third guest. A Black Scale Lizardman in silken robes entered the tent.
The Lizardman said,
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Owen."