172th Episode: Even If the World Should Deceive You
“Huh.”
I chuckled like a maniac.
It was such a surreally bizarre story that I wasn’t sure how to even react. To be honest, I didn’t quite understand it.
It was exactly the same feeling I had when Minerva handed over the duties of the guardian to me.
“Based on what I roughly understand…”
There was one thing that was clear.
The silver-haired man in front of me was a world-class lunatic. He wasn’t someone I could handle.
“Lord Adrang. I always thought you were someone who plotted national coups, but… are you someone who plans the overthrow of the world?”
What am I supposed to do? I thought he was just mildly crazy, but turns out he’s the real deal.
No matter how I thought about it, it felt like I’d taken a wrong turn somewhere. Why did I ever agree to go on what amounted to a witch hunt? I regretted it intensely.
I sigh deeply out of sheer regret and quickly hid the Sword of Annihilation behind my back.
“That could be expected. The story I’m about to tell you is something that only I, on a global scale, know about, so please don’t go blabbing it.”
Adrang twisted his eyebrows and smiled bitterly.
I scratched the back of my head and gave him an uncertain reaction.
“I won’t. Even if I do talk about it, people will only call me crazy.”
“That’s the truth. That’s why until now, even to witch hunters, I haven’t said this. And certainly not to those greedy little pigs.”
A look of deep loneliness stuck to the corner of Adrang’s mouth as he said those words.
“If you have any questions, ask them promptly. It’ll be faster for understanding this way.”
Adrang passed the baton to me while arching his eyebrows.
I hated teachers who liked to ask questions back when I was in high school. I felt a headache approaching as I placed my hand on my forehead.
“Um, Lord Adrang. First off, why does the witch guard the world? Then, who does that make us? We were called here to catch that witch, right?”
If the witch Diana is actually guarding the world peace as ‘Magic Girl Diana☆Espada’, that would make us a band of terrorists in this alternative world who are trying to kill such a commendable lady.
Given Adrang’s words just now, Minerva has become Osama bin Laden, and I’m somewhere around the level of ISIS, Al-Qaeda, or a Somali pirate.
Eeek, assalamu alaikum.
“The deities didn’t call us here to catch witches but to capture demon kings and demons. Eliminating demon kings and witch hunting are completely different stories, Jung Yong.”
That’s what he says.
But I thought otherwise and immediately raised an objection.
“The demon king was created by the witch, so aren’t these the same thing on a large scale?”
“Not all demon kings are born because the witch wanted it. Most are accidental births, unrelated to her will—some kind of illegitimate children, if you will.”
What is this nonsense? The story took a new turn.
I narrowed my eyebrows and listened intently to Adrang’s words. He continued in a completely serious tone.
“Didn’t I say it already? Even if left alone, this world will soon perish. Why do you think that is?”
“Since the work is tough and male welfare is nonexistent, it seems like the witch organized a union and is on strike, huh… X-bastard.”
“It’s close. You can roughly understand it that way.”
“What?”
At my casual joke, Adrang nods seriously. I widened my eyes and fixed my gaze on him.
And realized. This lunatic actually means it.
“More precisely speaking, soon enough, the witch will have no choice but to give up her role as a pillar.”
Realizing my shock, Adrang slightly added a clarification.
I barely gathered myself and continued the conversation.
“You say there’s no choice?”
“The witch’s power is steadily weakening. It has become impossible for her to bear the collapse of the world anymore.”
“… Ah, I see.”
“Though it’s raised at national summits every year, the frequency of demon kings’ appearances has sharply increased over the last 30 years. That is the most decisive evidence of the witch’s weakening power.”
Adrang wandered over to me, then carefully swept his hand over the stone-hard giant heart.
Then, he directed a deeply meaningful, sharpened gaze at me.
“The witch does indeed create demon kings, but it’s more like a byproduct of using dark magic—kind of like black magic waste. It’s not by her will.”
“Tch.”
“The increasing impurities are evidence that her power to maintain the world is weakening. She simply can’t handle the accelerating collapse anymore. It’s hard to explain clearly, but do you understand?”
“Yeah, I think I get it.”
The demon kings are like eraser crumbs.
Apparently, since Diana’s eraser has grown old, its quality has degraded. Even though it doesn’t erase the writing no matter how hard you rub, eraser crumbs keep coming out. Understood.
Since you don’t know erasers, that’s why you explained it in such a complicated way, huh? Pathetic, X-bastard.
“In reality, the witch was the good girl keeping our green mountains green. Yeah, that’s quite a twist, isn’t it? Up until here… I understand.”
I nodded my head while fixing a sharply honed gaze on Adrang.
Though I understood, I couldn’t approve of it. There’s a part I still can’t get my head around.
“If that’s the case, it makes even less sense.”
“What part bothers you?”
“If the good witch is being killed, why? If the world will die regardless of whether we kill her or not, shouldn’t we let her live just a little longer? Why must the world be split in two right now?”
That’s right. Even after hearing the full story, it’s still as Geom Rim said: Adrang is a lunatic.
Killing the witch would ultimately mean this if his words are true:
“What is it? Someone precious to you was killed by a demon king. Since killing the demon didn’t quench your rage, you decided you must kill the witch, the prime instigator? I wouldn’t care about a world without her, right? Is that the feeling?”
“……”
“That’s a bit selfish, isn’t it? The scale of your tantrum is just too large, don’t you think?”
“I won’t deny it. That kind of intention isn’t completely absent.”
Deny it! I’m telling you, I can’t trust you right now!
Adrang approached the stone slab, clicking his finger to summon me.
Though grumbling, I lifted Ruci who had been lying sprawled out on my back. Then, obediently, I followed the direction Adrang led.
“For the world not to end in such a way, what the witch prepared is you and Lady Ruci. They are the Guiding Raven and the White Vessel, recorded in the last prophecy of the ancient holy maiden.”
Saying this, Adrang pointed behind the giant stone slab. I shifted my gaze listlessly.
And at the moment I took in the stone slab, I sucked in my breath and slowly scanned what was there.
“Though most demon kings are not born from the witch’s will, a small portion—specifically, the four historically strongest demon kings—are different.”
Unlike the mysterious, curled characters on the front of the stone slab, the back was full of pictures.
They were rough yet distinct drawings, as if a child had drawn them with crayons.
I couldn’t take my eyes off these drawings for quite a while.
“Among those who have already died, those who are still alive, and those whose whereabouts are unknown, the Four Demon Kings were certainly crafted intentionally by the witch. They were created to complete the White Vessel to succeed the witch’s position.”
Saying this, Adrang pointed to the center of the rough drawing.
In the middle of the pitch-black hole, there’s a child with white hair. There’s a drawing of a crow flying in with the White Vessel in its mouth, making the child jump with joy.
“The White Vessel… to succeed the witch?”
The White Vessel.
I suddenly glanced at Ruci on my back. Adrang’s licking-like gaze also fell on Ruci.
I instinctively stepped a little back, as if to protect Ruci.
“From my research over several decades, completing the White Vessel requires three rituals in total.”
Regardless of what I think or do,
Adrang points with a chin to a bright red lump-like image on the left side of the stone slab.
“In the first ritual, the witch’s heart—kill the demon king Astarte.”
Adrang points with a chin to the green mist image located at the bottom of the stone slab.
“In the second ritual, the witch’s memories—kill the demon king Zadkiel.”
Finally, Adrang points with a chin to the image of a newborn baby on the right side of the stone slab.
“In the third ritual, the witch’s umbilical cord—kill the demon king Shakiel.”
After making the stone slab do a full counterclockwise rotation, Adrang’s finger points again…
To the center’s pitch-black hole, pointing at the white-haired child who is jumping with joy.
“Then, the way to the witch opens. The crow carries the completed vessel to find the witch. The witch willingly cuts her neck, putting it into the vessel, and falls into an eternal slumber with the dark knight.”
—If Lucy turns out to be the ‘White Vessel’ from this prophecy, then we understand why the witch gave Lucy the command to “Protect this world.”
It’s not just that. Most of the things that have been lingering in my mind so far roughly make sense now.
“Based on the prophecy interpreted by Elfride, this is the plan I reconstructed to kill the witch—simultaneously the plan by Witch Diana to maintain the world for hundreds of years.”
Adrang’s bright, gleaming eyes caught my attention.
There was something close to madness in them. He wore the face of a mad scientist who had made a century-defining discovery.
Well… if everything Adrang told me just now is true, even if he’s not a mad scientist, it’s still a grand discovery.
—Huhuhuha.
Suddenly, a low laughter echoed from my waist. It was Older Brother Sooho’s voice.
—Really, I’ve seen this before, old man with white hair. It’s almost the same. Deviation range 5%. Definitely worth becoming a witch hunter.
A proud voice, as if ready to clap if he had hands. Indeed, Adrang himself also seemed quite proud.
I looked quietly at his self-assured face and asked my final question.
“Then… why are the deities so frantically sending heroes these days?”
“To find the one from the other world with the suitability of the Guiding Raven. The sharp increase in summons over the last 30 years signifies the deities are also becoming desperate.”
A lump caught in my throat. So, the purpose of summoning over 160 million warriors to this land was… me.
The weight on my shoulders feels heavier by the day. As my parched mouth dried, I had to ask.
“If the witch dies… What happens… to the heroes summoned?”
A previous conversation with Adrang popped into my mind.
Back then, Adrang seemed to have accepted everything. He had said something like being flayed alive was better than this. I swallowed. Adrang began to speak.
“Though the prophecy doesn’t clearly state the deities’ exact purposes, or what the world will look like after the witch’s death, there are some things we can deduce…”
Adrang started retracing his steps towards the exit. I followed him closely behind.
Oddly, I was more tense this time compared to when we entered. I had a vague idea of what words Adrang would use for the heroes.
“The world will be plunged into a pitch-black darkness for a while after the witch dies. The black magic that stabilized the world will surge out of control, causing numerous natural disasters and a torrent of demon kings at once, resulting in many deaths.”
“Okay, and then?”
“After all the demon kings are exterminated and the White Vessel begins its function, the darkness will retreat, and a new period of stability will return to the Paradiso Continent.”
“—And that’s the end?”
Just as we passed through the darkness before us, sunlight streamed in through a distant hole in the ceiling.
It was the staircase leading up to the ground. We ascended the stairs as though running, and almost simultaneously emerged outside.
Just as I took a deep breath of the clear air I hadn’t tasted in a while, Adrang suddenly spoke.
“And without demon kings, the deities will no longer have the incentive to pour tremendous power into supporting the hero system. The system will be abolished, and all the powers that the heroes have gained will be instantly confiscated.”
As I quietly chewed on that meaning, Adrang beat me to the punch.
“A great revolution will occur in the current hero-centered governing structure. The oppressed natives will suppress the powerless heroes. Conflicts between states will erupt, and Markeiteuriseu and Mittelrand, which heavily relied on heroes, will quickly perish at the hands of the Dragon Empire and Unterland.”
My eyes grew increasingly wide.
Even Adrang, looking up at the rising morning sun, wore a twisted smirk.
“An age of slaughter and massacre, unprecedented even during the times when demon kings ruled. A great war will blanket the continent, centering on the Dragon Empire, Unterland, and the hero alliance.”
Yeah. After careful thought, I agree with him.
In a world without a common foe, humanity is its own worst enemy.
Just as on Earth.
“Now you understand why I kept silent about this fact to other heroes—even to the witch hunters?”
Adrang returned with a bitter smile to the mansion.
I chased after him silently and could only nod heavily in agreement.
“I wouldn’t help either if I were you. X-bastard.”
Who would willingly abandon wealth, honor, power, and even their life to maintain world peace?
Rather, it’s probably better for everyone to live carefree for a few decades until we all die together. If the witch works overtime, the world might not even end until I do. That’s what I would do.
It’d already be fortunate if someone like Hector Cassas didn’t start meddling around.
“—Damn bastard.”
Do you know what makes me feel the most frustrated and nauseous right now?
I have a rough idea of Hector Cassas’ thinking and find myself somewhat agreeing with it.
He didn’t do it out of personal greed.
He definitely knew this. That’s why he tried to maintain the precarious balance between heroes and demon kings.
To ensure that nobody could get close to the truth, and that this illusory peace would be maintained until the end.
“Damn it…!”
Finally, I couldn’t help but curse out loud.
Is it right to kill the witch and bring about an unprecedented era of chaos, or is it right to preserve the current, time-limited status quo? Frankly, I don’t know.
“Damn it. Give me work that a mere laborer can handle, you X-cursed witch.”
Trying to mutter this under my breath,
But with that witch bonehead in my waist, I stopped myself from saying it out loud.
