Defying Fate (1)
Rise, the grand sage. He accepted the invitation and revisited old memories. Grandfell Claudi Arpeus Romeo... It was unmistakable.
"...The last head of the Claudy family."
He had never met him in person, but that face was familiar.
Pandora's Attic. The sage's hideout for glimpsing the future. Amid the dust swirling in the attic, Grandfell's face had appeared often.
Creeeak— Rise found the dust-covered hideout. It had been so long the memory felt distant.
"I hope this old fool's just lost his mind."
In the futures shown by the attic's dust, the Claudy family met total annihilation. It was fate—an immense current even the great Claudy could not defy. Grandfell, the family head, was no exception.
Swoosh— He swept his arm, and dust rose in the attic.
'Still the same damn scenery.'
Peeking at horrific futures, struggling to change them—it was futile. Fate could not be defied. Disgusted by his own powerlessness, he had sworn never to set foot in Pandora's Attic again.
Rise rationalized it to himself. "I'm merely curious about the past."
He no longer wished to peer into the future. He just wanted to revisit hazy memories. To confirm once more if, in the futures he had witnessed long ago, Claudy's head, Grandfell, had indeed perished.
Soon, Rise shuddered. "...No doubt about it."
Trampled nobility. It was exactly as before. At this point in time, Grandfell should have met a wretched end. That was the fate he was born to.
And yet.
His gaze turned again to the invitation in his grasp.
"Who dares claim to be Grandfell?"
The title of grand sage was a cruel one. Unlike grand mages who could flaunt unmatched power without restraint, or sword kings who could command the continent, he could do neither. He simply knew more than others. That vast knowledge alone could neither seize anything nor save anyone. It merely allowed him to witness the flow of predetermined time a little earlier than most.
That was the entirety of a grand sage's ability.
Thus.
"Most displeasing."
Rise felt deeply unsettled. He didn't know who was impersonating Claudy's last head, but it reminded him of his own helplessness—the one he had tried so hard to ignore.
Thud. Rise planted his staff like a cane. Then he drew up mana to manifest a portal.
'The name Claudy is never taken lightly.'
His target coordinates: Claudy territory. He had visited that distant past once before, so manifesting a portal there was no great feat.
As the cluster of mana light dispersed, Rise lifted his head.
"My, the invitation I received was clearly from the Claudy family's youngest head, Sir Grandfell..."
Then his eyes met those of the man claiming to be Grandfell Claudi Arpeus Romeo.
He murmured unwittingly. "...And who might you be?"
An elegance no one could imitate. Radiantly shining silver hair. The being who had defied fate stood before him.
*
I couldn't help but flinch.
'...Does he know our Grandfell?'
He looked elderly at first glance... I could only assume he'd met the past Grandfell.
'So what do I even say here?'
There was no more awkward situation than this. Explaining the details? I couldn't even explain it myself. How a middle school chuunibyou's delusion had manifested on the Arcana continent.
As always, in these tight spots, my shamelessness shone through.
"Grandfell Claudi Arpeus Romeo."
I didn't know the reason, but since I'd vowed to bear that black history.
I declared it proudly. "Even holding Claudy's invitation, you question my name? I trust there is just cause. Speak it, and I shall hear."
No, he was the one being interrogated now. A natural attitude, really. Unyielding pride, no matter the opponent. Especially on home ground. In the family mansion, his back straightened even more.
The old man caught his breath at my words. "Hoo."
Then he looked at me again.
Swoosh— He bowed politely at the waist.
"This old man has committed a grave discourtesy, facing a situation beyond his feeble comprehension. Head of Claudy."
As I said, nothing passes without scrutiny for him. A situation beyond comprehension, was it...? I was about to tuck that away when the old man introduced himself.
"This unworthy elder, once called grand sage Rise, now greets Claudy's new head, Sir Grandfell, for the first time."
Grand sage, Rise. That title alone marked him as no ordinary figure, just like the others. Good thing it was their first meeting.
'He knows us, see.'
Even my brazenness had limits.
"Your hair has grown noticeably shorter, sir."
Seeing as he knew Grandfell's long locks...
Though it was his first direct encounter, he clearly knew what Grandfell looked like.
"It suits you perfectly, without need for words."
His sudden question had made my heart sink, but after that, the talk flowed no differently from with others. Thanks to it, I learned why Rise had been so rudely direct.
"I never imagined you were alive, sir."
The title of grand sage was well-earned. Peering into the future, no less. As I pondered how to make use of that.
Rise shook his head. "No. Now even my paltry foresight is unreliable. Since you, Sir Grandfell, have overcome fate and stand whole before me."
Well...?
'That might bear some thought.'
Me, Lee Hoyeol, scribbling settings—and the Claudy family realized on the continent. Truth be told, we'd reached the point where I couldn't be sure what took priority anymore. Just pondering it made my head spin.
'Still.'
I harbored one hope deep down. That the settings I'd written hadn't driven Claudy to extermination.
If it was my fault, I'd have no face left for Grandfell.
'Dealing with the aftermath would be a headache too.'
Moreover, me, Lee Hoyeol. Having declared I'd bear adult pride and responsibility.
I couldn't just brush it off.
Anyway...
'Time to get to the point.'
The reason I'd held the banquet and sent Claudy's invitations was clear. Facing the unfathomable obstacle called Omen.
I needed to secure my forces on the Arcana continent too—namely, the Holy War Alliance.
So I had to shatter the good mood.
I finally spoke. "The reason I summoned you is simple."
They probably all sensed it. Demons turning the continent to wasteland? As Agentress had dismissed lightly, it might be nothing to some.
But rift threats spared no one.
"Mage Tower, Frost, ancient kingdom, Zero Mountains. Do you know where those vanished from the Arcana continent now reside?"
"...?"
"I know of that threat."
"...!!!"
Yes. I planned to shatter the chains binding these titans in their tangled web.
The trigger? Pride wouldn't move them in time. So trust me this once, Grandfell.
Humans move quickest when their own lives are at stake.
So I struck at the core from the start.
Gazing at the assembled one by one, I continued. "Zero Mountains may vanish next. Or Dune tribe lands. Or the grand sage, teacher of the Arcana continent."
Gulp— Swallowing sounds echoed.
Experience matters, see? Mage Tower chief, pre-verified regular conferences, reversal magic lectures, sharp-tongued critiques—they all helped now...
"Do you have the confidence to bear it alone?"
...
Claudy's banquet ended.
Grand sage Rise let out a small chuckle. Straight to action upon appearing.
"As expected of Claudy's head."
Rise recalled those gathered.
"Truly strong personalities."
Age had sharpened his eye for humanity.
From Rise's view, none who answered Claudy's call harbored ill intent.
But.
"Blending them will take time, no doubt."
Each could shake the continent. Mutual recognition demanded effort and time.
Yet Rise harbored no worries. "Of course, it poses no issue for you."
Claudy's last head. Conversation with Grandfell had been enjoyable. To Rise, who couldn't foresee adventurers even via Pandora's Attic, they were anomalies. Who knew Sir Grandfell was uniting vanished forces from adventurers' world and Arcana alike.
"Thanks to you, this old head cleared up."
Past, present, future. Vast knowledge left no room for peace of mind. Rise enjoyed discussing unknowns. It let him set aside tangled thoughts and immerse.
But perhaps because of that.
"...Thus, I could not speak."
No intent to hide. Yet his lips moved heavily.
"Forgive my rudeness, Sir Grandfell."
Age enriched sensibility? Claudy's head, returned nobly to Arcana—Grandfell appeared tragic in Rise's eyes.
"Perhaps just an old man's needless worry."
You've overcome even fate, after all. Yet Rise didn't want Grandfell suffering as he did. Arcana wasn't enough; even dragons overwhelmed him, yet he bore immense burdens in adventurers' world too.
Thus.
"I wish to burden you no more."
Gazing at Claudy territory, Rise murmured coldly. "I pray you think the same. Pride."
*
Time is relative. 'Someone' on the Arcana continent might think much time passed, but reality was harsher.
Yes. The process of misconception becoming legend proceeded smoothly even now.
Normally, no great hindrance.
Thursday. Normally regular update announcement day.
But post-Zero Mountains mega-content, regular updates halted awhile.
No complaints regardless.
Ding—
"Huh? Senior, something popped on the homepage?"
Thus players, the world, barely stirred at alerts.
But mistaken.
Arcana official homepage. Regular update surely uploaded by Raymon Sean.
Its title alone sufficed to shake reality and Arcana continent.