MTM 123

“It’s falling, watch out!”

In the heart of the dense forest, a shout rang out as a massive tree fell. Before the trunk even hit the ground, burly lumberjacks rushed in. The sound of axes chopping off branches and striking the trunk echoed from all directions.

“Kailen, did you heard the news?”

Serdin asked as one of the lumberjacks, who had been loading timber onto a cart, wiped sweat from his brow and stepped into the tent.

“What news?”

Kailen replied absentmindedly as he vigorously rubbed his sweat-soaked hair with a towel.

The two had once been comrades-in-arms as imperial guards of the Regnovar Empire, sharing life and death together. After the incident with the Crown Prince’s carriage, they had both become lumberjacks.

“The Book of Prophecy.”

“The Book of Prophecy?”

The Kailen of old had been a man who fanatically believed in fate, collecting dozens of books. He had even devoured obscure commentaries others ignored. But the Kailen of now reacted coldly, as if the very word “prophecy” had left him jaded.

“This time it’s real, I tell you. Rumors are spreading like wildfire that Lior Albas is scattering a new prophecy across the world.”

“Rumors? I don’t believe in such pie-in-the-sky nonsense anymore. And Lior Albas isn’t the sort to engage in such foolishness.”

“Ah, is that so?”

Serdin chuckled as he poured drinking water from the wooden barrel into a cup. Kailen, who had been staring at the stream of water, gulped it down the moment the cup was full.

“Ah!”

A single glass of ice-cold water made him exclaim in delight. Serdin silently chuckled at the sight. Gone was the sensitive young man once nicknamed “Bookworm”; before him now was a man with hands as rough as tree bark.

“So, what exactly is this new prophecy?”

“See? Saying you weren’t interested was a complete lie.”

Serdin squinted, he knew it would be so. He pulled a sheet of paper he had set aside for his companion from his bag.

[At the end of the yoke of war and conquest, the kingdom stained with blood shall build its own tomb.

You have burned the creations of the gods and buried the cries of beasts in silence.

Having offered crimson essence upon altars built with blood,

Prosperity shall soon become the spark of a curse.

On the day the flower plucked from the land of purification withers,

A single brilliant ray shall cleave the darkness.

When the wind blowing from the north becomes a blade that skims the earth,

The desert star shall awaken and cleave the heavens, and the light shall find its path, crossing the forgotten land and the iron-clad mountain range.

When the river flowing from the Forest of Death burns red once more.

The breath of evil, finally awakened from slumber, shall envelop the world.

From the <First Book of Prophecy> by Lior Albas, Guardian of the 13th Oracle-]

“…What? It’s the same?”

Kailen muttered in a deflated voice, unable to hide his disappointment. Serdin smiled meaningfully, he’d expected this reaction.

“Come on, you’ve read this book hundreds of times, and that’s all you see? Read to the end.”

“Wait. What is this… <The First Prophecy>…?”

When Lior Albas’ prophecy first spread, its title was clearly <The Last Prophecy>. The content was identical, but in this new prophecy, ‘last’ had been changed to ‘first’. It might seem a minor detail, but in the world of prophecy, the reversal of beginning and end signified that the world’s destiny had been redefined.

“Yes, it’s been rewritten under the name ‘First’. And the important part is the page after that.”

At Serdin’s words, Kailen flipped the paper over.

[O pitiful being, who cannot ascend upon any scale of light or shadow.

Follow the fading footsteps of time.

Thus, with the morning star you have gained, embrace both the breath of purification and the pulse of death.

When the silent earth’s scream awakens at your feet,

The icy north wind shall stain itself with crimson scars.

Finally, the blood-red sun shall illuminate all things, and a single tear shall burst forth.]

The new prophecy was far shorter and more concise than the old one.

“Hmm…”

Kailen’s face gradually turned rigid as he pondered each engraved word.

“What? Is the world going to end soon or something?”

“No, it’s much more…”

After a brief pause at Serdin’s question, Kailen slowly raised his head.

“It sounds hopeful.”

Kailen’s lips curved into a smile, and Serdin smiled back at him.

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Flap.

A white falcon soared high into the cloudless, clear blue sky. Riding the air currents, it glided over the spires of the imperial palace, past the city streets, and headed toward a picturesque mansion. Robert was standing on the terrace of the mansion, distinguished by its antique style. He was enjoying the fresh air and gazing up at the sky.

“A hawk.”

He murmured softly upon spotting the white hawk gliding through the air.

“They say a white hawk usually brings good fortune.”

Robert’s gaze shifted indoors. There, Isadora sat at the tableas she examined a pile of documents. She glanced indifferently at the hawk Robert indicated before returning her focus to the papers.

“…Is that so.”

Though she pretended indifference, Isadora felt a wave of relief. For her, good fortune might not have been the falcon soaring through the sky, but rather Robert smiling right before her eyes. She had thought so ever since saving his life as a child.

And this ordinary day, safely greeting a refreshing morning at the Grenhardt mansion, was no less than a miracle. Just a fortnight ago, she couldn’t have imagined such peace would be granted again.

Though the storm had passed, it hadn’t caused the fatal cracks in the Regnovar Empire that had been feared. Reconstruction had already begun on the tower, and damaged buildings throughout the imperial palace were being repaired. Inside the palace, workers bustled about with restoration efforts; outside, merchants and craftsmen transporting necessary materials filled the streets day after day.

Rumors of all kinds circulated about the events of that night.

Stories ranged from an unprecedented earthquake to legendary whispers of a guardian deity awakening from slumber in the imperial palace’s ancient sanctuary, or conspiracy theories blaming spies from the hostile Elysium Empire. Even tales of a heroic battle circulated, claiming Hartiros had appeared only to be repelled by the valiant efforts of the Royal Knights.

Countless speculations resembled the truth of that day, yet diverged in crucial aspects.

The one fortunate thing was that no mention was made of Crown Prince Magnus. His notoriety was already widespread, and they also feared that simply saying his name might lead to one disappearing without a trace.

The Crown Prince’s body was never found. Strictly speaking, only the remains of a giant spider, torn to shreds, were left behind. The altar and traces of the spiderweb that should have remained in the tower vanished like a mirage. It was as if, the moment life left that place, it was completely erased from the world.

Bernak, his trusted aide, had also vanished without a trace. Perhaps he had witnessed Magnus being brutally torn apart by Harto, realized the tide had turned, and fled.

The essence of the Demon King, once called a fragment of the Demon God, the ‘small brain’ left behind by Magnus, was now in Zed’s possession. He poured his own holy power into it, casting a barrier to prevent the unusual demonic energy from leaking out, then added Ser’s alchemy to complete the seal.

Once the situation settled, he planned to seek out an investigator to uncover the true nature of this ominous legacy.

The aftermath of that night fell entirely to Isadora and Robert. Severely wounded, Isadora recovered quickly thanks to Allen and Leon. Even while receiving treatment, she meticulously directed post-incident management to prevent any information from leaking outside.

Robert was always by her side. Despite suffering a severe injury to one arm himself, he served as Isadora’s right-hand man, assisting her without fail every single day. While his kindness was familiar from before, living so closely together, sharing every moment, was a first.

‘Was it Robert who first discovered us buried in the ruins…?’

Isadora recalled Allen and Leon’s testimony, they had stayed by her side when she lost consciousness to the enemy’s illusions. Robert had worked with Harto’s elementals to meticulously search through the stone piles until he found them. As the chief commander, the fact that she had fallen for the enemy’s simple provocation and caused harm to her comrades was a bitter shame.

But Isadora decided to see this incident as a valuable lesson learned.

Morz importantly, she was relieved Robert was safe.

Knock knock.

“I’ll get it.”

Just then, someone knocked on the door. Robert rose from the terrace, but Isadora was already on her feet. Without asking who it was, she opened the door.

“…Ah!”

Harto was standing at the door with wide eyes.

“Huh! Lady Isadora? Ah! I thought only Mr. Robert was here! I’m so sorry to interrupt…!”

Startled, Harto’s cheeks turned bright red as he tried to turn and leave. But Isadora’s hand grabbed his sleeve.

“I don’t know what you mean by interrupting me, but it’s fine. You can come in.”

“Ah… B-but…”

Harto glanced nervously over Isadora’s shoulder. Robert waved with his usual bright expression.

“What? Isadora was here too?”

Just as he wondered why Harto had come alone, a hand slipped through the door gap and wrapped around Harto’s shoulder. The door swung wider, revealing Zed standing behind it. He looked back and forth between Isadora and Robert with eyes full of curiosity.

Isadora pushed the door open wider and took a step back.

“Did you get startled because I was in Robert’s room? It’s just for work. If it’s alright with you, you can come in.”

“Ah… No! It’s fine, it’s not that… Um… It’s just… it’s not urgent…!”

Harto shook his head, insisting he hadn’t misunderstood, but the flush on his face said otherwise. It seemed Harto had, at some point, almost taken it for granted what her relationship with Robert was.

What had fueled his misunderstanding? Robert was just a childhood friend she’d known for a long time.

“Hmm, looks like you’re both busy. Well then, Harto, since things have come to this, let’s just say it all.”

“Huh?! Wh-what are you talking about? Zed?!”

A flustered Harto looked up at Zed with a trembling voice. His blue eyes screamed ‘Absolutely not!’

“No, it’s just… As far as I know, Isadora already…”

Before Zed could finish his sentence, Harto’s elbow slammed into his side.