Chapter 40: Prove Your Resolve (2)
‘What on earth did Asher give me?’
Such thoughts were unavoidable.
This scam was unlike any other. It even had the grand title of the “Gospel of the Future,” and yet it was saying stuff like this?
How is this any different from those Naver fortune-telling apps?
It’s nothing but meaningless drivel.
‘I suppose refunds are out of the question…’
I felt an urge to write a lengthy complaint at this very moment. But then again, what difference would it make?
[Sometimes, it’s better not to know. Blind your eyes until the day you’re destined to understand everything.]
In the end, I sighed as I looked at that nonsensical instruction again.
‘Well, I kind of expected this.’
After all, this was something the villain from the previous work used.
Used goods are still used goods, and the “gospel” had less than half a page left.
The remainder was crammed with details about the villain’s plans from the previous work.
Thus, the instructions couldn’t possibly be specific.
There was barely enough room for three or four lines.
If the prophecy detailed the future explicitly, it would obviously exceed the page limit.
‘Besides, prophecies are usually vague anyway.’
You don’t understand them at first, but when the crucial moment arrives, you finally grasp their true meaning.
It’s rarely a more clichéd trope than that.
In that sense, those vague hints and instructions are almost textbook.
‘So how am I supposed to interpret this?’
In the end, there was only one thing I could do in this situation.
Since I can’t undo what’s already been written, I might as well make use of it somehow.
I began trying to decipher the meaning again as I scrutinized the text.
[Sometimes, it’s better not to know. Blind your eyes until the day you’re destined to understand everything.]
Those were the two points in the text.
…The more I examined them, the more absurd they seemed. Especially the first one.
It’s better that I don’t know, so close my eyes.
It’s telling me that I’m unaware of something, and that discovering it would be to my detriment.
‘What kind of situation leads to that?’
I’m missing some crucial piece of information, and because of that, things are actually going better?
Does that make any sense?
I couldn’t figure out how such a scenario could even occur.
‘But doesn’t this mean I’m not supposed to guess?’
Since it mentioned that being ignorant is better for me.
Ultimately, my best choice was to pretend I hadn’t seen this prophecy.
Eventually, if I waited, the day mentioned in the prophecy would come.
And at the right moment, I’d comprehend everything.
It’s somewhat ironic.
I went through the trouble of using the gospel to clear up my questions, only to end up with even more queries.
‘I guess I should be grateful there were no ominous statements.’
At least it didn’t say I’d never achieve my goals or that the world would end, leading to a horrible death, urging me to commit suicide.
‘That’s exactly what happened in the previous work.’
It instructed the villain that they would die at the hands of the protagonist no matter what, even giving tips on how to off themselves as painlessly as possible.
Compared to that, this is a walk in the park.
This implies my future might be more positive than expected.
There’s a slight chance to prevent destruction and reach the happy ending I desire.
Just knowing this is satisfying enough.
That hopeless feeling has lightened a bit.
‘Honestly, it’s a shame I couldn’t figure out the trigger for the destruction.’
Like who the villains are and that they should be eliminated.
Or that I could easily take down the final boss if I remove certain people first.
I had hoped for that sort of content, so it was tough to shake off the disappointment.
‘But I did manage to acquire some valuable information.’
Naturally.
The existence of this gospel alludes to another crucial fact.
‘There definitely was a previous hero.’
If I skim through the pages of the gospel, the character presumed to be the previous protagonist gets mentioned several times.
However, curiously, the name part was mysteriously erased.
Considering that locals like Rubia, Siel, and Lien had never heard of the previous hero…
The conclusion was simpler than I imagined.
Some sort of cognitive alteration occurred.
For some reason, the hero was wiped from existence by someone.
This timeline doesn’t fit any of the original routes.
With this knowledge, it’s easy to speculate on who might be behind it.
‘What in the name of the Empire happened?’
When something goes awry, blaming the Empire is usually spot on.
Even after searching through all my previous knowledge, I couldn’t determine the method. But it was clear who the perpetrator was.
‘I need to dig deeper into the Empire.’
However… unfortunately, finding reliable sources of information proved difficult.
Miss Rubia had mentioned that her relationship with the Empire soured after she canceled the medicinal deal last time.
She had interfered with a shady deal between the Empire and the hidden forces, making her quite unpopular.
And she’s the last person one would associate with espionage. Given her personality, it would actually be weirder if she were capable of spying.
‘Guess I’ll have to put this on hold.’
That was my conclusion, but…
There was something strange about it.
I had a peculiar hunch.
Someone with ties to the Empire, who wanted to cooperate with me, and who had some skill in acting and politics.
A bizarre intuition suggested that this person would simply walk right up to me.
‘Is this for real?’
I couldn’t help but doubt the function of the whispering earring. It should have an intuition-enhancing feature, yet I didn’t notice any difference from last time.
For some reason, it seemed to be ineffective.
It felt like I was hopelessly stumbling around without a clue.
Is my intuition so poor that even when enhanced, it turns out this way?
It was utterly perplexing.
*
After finishing up the artifact organization, I summoned Miss Rubia and Lien.
I didn’t only acquire artifacts from the black market.
Thirty children.
I needed to discuss what to do with the rescued slaves.
Siel was still recovering.
Not wanting to interrupt her rest, I decided to chat with the two of them.
And…
“Why are you so tense?”
I noticed Miss Rubia looking extremely anxious.
We were merely discussing matters over breakfast.
Anyone would think Cthulhu was at the breakfast table.
“N-no, I’m not nervous!”
Miss Rubia protested, but it was painfully obvious.
Honestly, I couldn’t read her at all.
‘I thought she might be terrified of me, but that wasn’t it.’
For some reason, she always exhibited unusual reactions when we talked, leading me to foolishly ponder whether she was frightened of me.
I had reassured her that I had no intentions of causing harm, that I was always thankful to her. I even told her that if I made her uncomfortable, I would correct it on the spot, swearing it on my mana.
But that yielded no results either.
‘Now, I have to hope that financial therapy works.’
I couldn’t fathom what her concern could be, but I could only wish that seeing some money multiply would improve her mood.
Ultimately, I circled back to the main topic and began discussing the children.
There were numerous decisions to be made.
I had the responsibility of training thirty children.
Of course, I had no experience with this whatsoever. We would have to brainstorm many decisions together.
So this could be more complicated than I initially expected.
That’s what I thought as the discussion began.
‘…What is this?’
What followed was entirely unexpected.
Miss Rubia, who always appeared clumsy and odd, suddenly laid out various plans with a keen look in her eyes.
She didn’t seem like the same person at all.
Everything was resolved quickly and flawlessly.
All the complex details, such as training locations and schedules, were nailed down in no time.
All I had done was mention the training methods from prestigious families I had seen in the previous work.
Yet that alone was enough to get everything sorted.
‘…She really is a successful businesswoman for a reason.’
Though she may seem chaotic, she became incredibly professional when it was time to work.
“Th-then, is that everything?”
Miss Rubia asked, having wrapped everything up in an instant.
I hadn’t entirely recovered from the shock yet, and I hesitated for a moment…
But then I collected myself and spoke up.
“No, there’s still one crucial aspect left.”
It was rather obvious.
Those slave kids still viewed me as the leader of the Black Fangs.
Back then, it was unavoidable due to the situation, but now it was time to correct that.
Furthermore, if the training methods of prestigious families I gained through the previous work got leaked, it might spark unnecessary misunderstandings.
I’d prefer if no one quit halfway through, if possible.
Thus, I needed to take this opportunity to reaffirm their willingness to join us once again.
We needed to ensure they were genuinely prepared to join us fully and that they were ready for it.
“We need to properly inform them about us and confirm their resolve.”
