Chapter 289: The Prophecy Points to Death (1)
*
Spring brings chaos to Apuria.
The announcement that Chloe is the next candidate for the Hero emerged. Furthermore, it was revealed that her protector is the Master of the Black Tower, and she is currently enrolled in Apuria.
For a while, the noise escalated.
“Rather than a protector, it’s more like a sponsor.”
“The Black Tower respects the wishes of the Saint, Lady Chloe.”
The Master of the Black Tower was able to handle the situation flexibly, having been prepared for such events since ancient times, but Aaron, the headmaster of Apuria, wasn’t as agile. He wasn’t unprepared, but the preparation wasn’t very effective.
Due to the excessive attention directed towards them.
After all, Galahal had visited Apuria just before his passing. Since it was the first and last time he stood before the Church Order, the significance is profound. The students who received Galahal’s teachings are in the public eye.
Amid this, it was revealed that the Hero who inherits Galahal’s legacy is also enrolled in Apuria. It was also disclosed that she would continue to stay in Apuria until she becomes an adult.
Indeed, it is a surprising fact.
Not only the public but also the students at Apuria were shocked. The next-generation Hero was attending classes and laughing alongside them, and they could hardly contain their astonishment.
That’s what a Hero is.
No matter how distinguished one’s lineage is, they are mere commoners in front of a Hero chosen by a Star. Thus, the entire school was in an uproar, and Aaron sighed heavily.
“Belnoa.”
And then.
“Belnoa?”
“Oh, what is it? Lac.”
“Why do you look like that? You seem extremely tired.”
Belnoa was not pleased with this situation. At all.
“I have a lot on my mind.”
Belnoa looked at his hands.
At that moment, still unable to grasp the revelation he had during the trial, he frowned at his hands.
2.
“You want to increase your training time?”
Kalt exhaled sharply while rotating his shoulders.
His gaze fell upon the boy standing in front of him. The boy, known as the Nightmare of the Slums, was famous even among the Hounds.
The Sorcerer, Belnoa.
It was a story from several months ago when this boy suddenly approached Kalt to request training. Since then, Kalt had occasionally been joining Belnoa’s training sessions.
“Do you really need to?”
“I think it would be necessary.”
“I don’t think rushing it will help.”
Kalt sat down on a stump.
It wasn’t hard to guess why Belnoa had proposed this. Kalt was somewhat aware of the internal circumstances as well.
“Is it because of Chloe?”
“······.”
Belnoa confirmed with his silence.
Kalt sighed.
“I don’t think increasing it is feasible. I’m busy too.”
Muttering this, Kalt glared at Belnoa.
Kalt, with a knack for human observation, found it difficult for Belnoa to evade his keen gaze. Kalt narrowed his eyes.
He looked like he was being chased by something.
The desperation he displayed was tinged with anxiety.
“I understand, but…”
Kalt rested his chin on his hand and spoke.
“At your age, that’s already a significant achievement.”
Kalt sighed before continuing.
“If you join the Hounds now, you could rise to be right below me, and if you go to the battlefield, you’ll get recognized in no time. Achieving that level at your age is truly remarkable, you know?”
Based on the conclusion drawn during the past months of training with Belnoa, Kalt believed the boy was gifted. He had the talent to become a top-tier warrior. Indeed, it wasn’t without reason that the senior took such an interest in this student.
‘Not just in martial arts and techniques…’
His judgment was quick.
The transition of thought was swift, and the process of choosing what to discard and what to keep was incredibly smooth. It was not merely inherent talent but a boy who had been honed through real-world experience.
“I personally hold you in high regard. It’s not just me; the seniors and my colleagues feel the same.”
This was not merely Kalt’s subjective opinion.
Objectively speaking, someone of Belnoa’s age achieving that level of skill was indeed rare. Even after receiving such praise, Belnoa didn’t seem particularly pleased.
Kalt knew the reason for that.
“And yet, you’re still looking higher.”
The realm of the Superhuman.
A place that can only be reached by surpassing walls.
This boy genuinely aimed for that realm. That’s why he was seeking him out.
‘It seems he’s already sensed the wall, but he’s struggling to make progress…’
Kalt had experienced a similar time as Belnoa.
Scratching the back of his head, Kalt searched for his words, then sighed and spoke bluntly.
“Can I be honest?”
“Uh? About what…?”
“There’s not much meaning in training right now. Just don’t lose your touch.”
What does that even mean?
Belnoa looked at him with a puzzled expression, prompting Kalt to thump his sword hilt against the ground.
“Everyone says that Superhumans are shaped in real combat, right? They say something becomes clear in moments of death.”
Most Superhumans spoke like that.
In moments of death, when faced with an irremovable limit, something was revealed. The moment they grasped that, they transcended the wall.
“The act of gaining enlightenment itself is what’s important.”
Every time he faced disaster, Kalt had gained insight.
He had seen something and reached for it.
By accumulating those, Kalt climbed over the wall. Though he ultimately relied on the Holy Grail, Kalt had also learned plenty at the edge of death.
“Just doing a bit more training now won’t show you any answers. I’ve been through that too.”
This is what being a Superhuman is.
You can’t surpass the wall just by training safely. Enlightenment can only be obtained in extreme situations.
“It sounds clichéd, but you’ll have to learn in real combat. I can only share the methods I’ve used.”
Ultimately, the advice Kalt could offer was quite limited.
“That moment will come for you too.”
Kalt extended his hand toward Belnoa.
“There will come a time to challenge your limits, to face that immense wall you think you can’t surpass. It will definitely come. So, when that moment arrives…”
He thrust his hand forward.
“Don’t close your eyes, don’t think of backing down, and even if you’re scared, reach out forward. Reach out your hand.”
Smack, Kalt grabbed at the air.
“Grab it.”
That was all he said.
Belnoa quietly looked down at his palm. Still, a shadow hung over his face.
3.
“I’ve confirmed that the contract has changed.”
Cardi said, fiddling with the Balance.
“The contract I had with the Star has been altered. More specifically, there’s been an issue with the contract where Starlight was distributed and circulated.”
It was the first time he experienced such an anomaly in several centuries.
Cardi squinted at the view ahead. Standing in front of Cardi was Raniel.
“Raniel, you seem to know something.”
“I do know.”
Raniel pondered where to start and eventually began to recount everything step-by-step—from Galahal’s death to the miracle he showcased in his final moments.
“…I thought it might be connected to the Hero’s death, but it seems I was right.”
After hearing the story, Cardi let out a sigh.
“In his final moment, the Star chose Chloe, that child?”
“Yeah.”
“Starlight distribution. I thought only Ganikalt could do something like that, but it’s amusing that it happened.”
Cardi gazed at the Balance hovering before him with a troubled expression. He scanned the content of the contract engraved on the Balance with his eyes and continued speaking.
“It’s not impossible.”
It wasn’t impossible.
There had been precedents, and this contract was forged using those precedents.
“I could analyze it endlessly, offering interpretations, but I don’t want to do that. I don’t even know if such things have any significance.”
“That’s… I agree.”
Raniel nodded.
The miracle Galahal manifested in his last moment. She had no desire to analyze or explore that miracle. She felt unease, as if that shouldn’t happen.
“As a Mage, I shouldn’t be saying this, but not every phenomenon can be calculated.”
Cardi touched the Balance.
“It seems the world operates in a calculable and orderly manner under the Star’s ordinances, yet there will be gaps somewhere. Unexpected events beyond the Star’s predictions occur time and again. Some might call it the divine’s mistake…”
And others would call it—
“—a miracle.”
Miracles have occurred in every era and moment.
Cardi vividly remembered the miracle his companion had manifested hundreds of years ago. It came to mind, and Cardi spoke with a wry smile.
“Raniel, do you know?”
“What about?”
“Who do you think was responsible for cutting down the Demon Lord’s flesh in the past?”
“…Ganikalt?”
“Correct.”
Cardi nodded.
“After ten days of battle, Ganikalt managed to cleave into the flesh of the Demon Lord. He took the completeness from the god who had stepped into this land. And…”
Cardi tapped his right arm.
“At that time, Ganikalt was in a state of losing half his body.”
“What?”
“It was quite the fight. With half of himself sacrificed, Ganikalt swung his sword, ready to face death. He originally wielded the sword with his right hand, but in his last moment, he swung with his left.”
And that sword—
“—Touched the god.”
The sword Ganikalt swung at the end did not contain Starlight. Ironically, the one who cut down the god was not the sword of the Hero chosen by the god, but that of a human’s sword (?).
“It was a miracle. An impossible feat. Even now, I can’t fathom how it was possible. I believe adding reasons would be meaningless.”
Anyway, Cardi continued speaking.
“The human will sometimes produces completely unexpected results. Such variables exist, which is why Gleria said prophecies are meaningless.”
It was a contradictory narrative.
The one who should analyze the Star’s ordinances the most, the Mage, was now speaking of miracles.
Had it been in the past, Raniel would have scoffed at Cardi’s words and attempted to analyze the crucial strike Ganikalt produced in his last moments, but not now.
Cardi felt a strange sense of discomfort from Raniel.
“The atmosphere has changed.”
“Really?”
“Your expression seems a bit lighter. You don’t look as pent-up as before.”
“Did I look pent-up?”
“You resembled my old self.”
“Ah, I see.”
Raniel straightened her back and exhaled sharply.
With a faint smile on her lips, she spoke.
“I’ve just been thinking a lot lately.”
“Did you find an answer?”
“I doubt that. I still have to keep thinking.”
So, Raniel began.
“How is the altered contract? Is there no anomaly?”
“The Star’s cycle has changed to three. I doubt another Hero will be born.”
“Is that so?”
The contract that had lasted for centuries had flipped.
It happened without any transactions at all.
What was there was merely the flow of Starlight following the will of humanity. Reflecting on that flow, Raniel nodded.
“That means it was properly conveyed to Chloe.”
“Probably.”
“That’s a good outcome.”
Just as Raniel was about to rise—
“Raniel.”
Cardi quietly called her name.
When she turned around, she found Cardi with a complex expression. Slowly, Cardi opened his mouth.
“Did you say Gleria sustained a critical injury?”
“Chloe said so. She even saw a lance embedded in her heart.”
“…Is that so?”
Listening to Raniel, Cardi had partially figured out Gleria’s intentions. She had intended to steal Chloe’s body, which resembled her own, and ultimately sought to meet him.
Cardi didn’t know what emotions to feel about that fact. He kept opening and closing his lips, ultimately falling silent.
“…I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked such things.”
Raniel chose not to add anything.
Instead, she posed a question.
“Hey, Cardi.”
“What is it?”
“Since we’re talking about Ganikalt, when exactly does that monster move?”
This was a question Raniel had been pondering for a long time.
Skebal, the Gletus—they had their own ways of acting. They moved toward some purpose. However, Ganikalt was different.
“I just can’t figure out what his aim is.”
When he would show up on the battlefield, or what he hoped to achieve by moving remained a mystery. Ironically, that made him even more of a disaster.
“Who knows.”
Cardi gazed at the table.
Specifically, he looked at the candle resting on it. Beneath the flickering flame lay a shadow. As he stared at that shadow, Cardi murmured.
“If there’s anyone who knows, it would be the shadow. He will wield his sword for the sake of that shadow.”
*
