“Our work here is done. I think we should be heading back, what do you think?”
“I agree… It certainly was a strange experience.”
I didn’t know how to respond when a mystic who’d performed this ritual for five hundred years said something like that. Anyway, we’d achieved our original objective, uncovered the mechanism of the prophecy, and also eliminated the culprit (even if it was just their spirit).
I’d also determined that at this point in time it was impossible to communicate with the King of Daemons. This wasn’t an issue of the evilness or intelligence of the daemons, but how purely alien they were from human thought.
Now all we had to do was get back safely.
“Right…” I saw the spool that the mystic held in one hand. In the space of the muddy sea, that red thread was clearly stretching to a higher place. When we gently tugged on it, it slowly lifted our bodies into the air.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Lord! My lord!”
It was a voice I was very familiar with. The desperation in that voice brought my consciousness back to reality.
And somehow, I knew this was the real world. I looked at the darkening sky. I looked at the entrance to the cave. There was a large, soft, living thing clinging to my chest as I lay on my back.
“Reyha!”
“Oh…my lord!”
It was my faithful dark elf. It seemed like she was trying to cover me up with her body, as she moved her face right up to mine. There were tears in her purple eyes. In her hand was a red thread that she’d wrapped around her hand so many times that her skin had grown discolored.
“Did you notice? It was great. It was really great,” Reyha mumbled, her face buried in my chest.
Sedam sounded bored. “I don’t really know what you’re talking about, but it sounds like it one hell of a great adventure. Good work.”
When I moved my face, while stroking Reyha’s head, the women of the warrior clan came to care for us.
So, we were safe for now.
“Lord Wizard. Please rest.” Even the superhuman beauty of the mystic showed signs of fatigue and relief.
✦ ✦ ✦
Luckily, neither the mystic nor I were particularly upset.
When the mystic and the warrior clan examined the cornerstone, or rather, the corpse of the daemon in the cave, they found that it seemed to have collapsed in on itself and was rapidly decaying. The cause was not clear, but for now, rituals of prophecy could no longer take place.
Incidentally, the ESP Medal was also warped, as if it had nearly melted in a powerful heat, and could no longer be used.
The mystic remained stoic. “If we were able to influence the spirit of the daemon that strongly, then perhaps this outcome was inevitable.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“To think that such a mythical adventure could take place in the current day. Although you’re practically a walking myth yourself, now that I think about it.”
We were recuperating in the spartan quarters we’d borrowed from the warrior clan. When Sedam heard about everything, his expression was a mixture of admiration and envy.
“I keep turning the whole thing over in my head, and even though it sounds like a nightmare, I still wish I’d gone with you.”
“If I have to go through that again, you’re definitely coming.”
That said, I hoped I would never have to experience it again. And the cornerstone had disappeared. I felt a bit worried about what might happen to the warrior clan going forward.
“I am just relieved from the bottom of my heart that you are safe, my lord. If something had happened to you, I wouldn’t know what to say to your fiancée and her sister…”
“Well,” I told Reyha, “from what Sedam tells me, it’s only thanks to you that I was able to return safely.”
As Sedam told it, a few hours after the mystic and I had gone into the cave, the red thread had started being pulled by some incredible force. Reyha and the attendants desperately had held the thread strong, until we both came flying out of the cave.
I shuddered to think of what might have happened if Reyha had given up and let go of the thread.
“Anyway,” said Sedam. “Do you think your adventure produced satisfactory results?”
It hit me all at once. “Oh yeah! I learned something amazing!”
“Really?!”
How could I have forgotten? I grabbed Sedam’s shoulders. He would definitely be surprised to hear the truth of this horrifying world.
“What did you learn?”
“Listen! The world—”
“The world…?”
“Wait a second…” What was it? Wait! It was extremely important information. I couldn’t have forgotten it! Wait…
“I can’t say it perfectly, but I definitely learned some important information. It was worth the danger.”
Yes. That was it. The allegations against me were completely cleared. The daemonist had been manipulating information. Clearing this up was big. I’d also learned that some of the daemonists were interfering with the consciousness of the daemons. Most of all, the final words of that white monster…
“The third brood event…a massive outpouring of daemons… It’s going to happen within the next ten years!”
Even though the daemonist had resisted me, it would’ve been difficult for him to lie to the wizard controlling him. In other words…
“From now on, there will be fewer daemonists that open up random Epicenters to summon daemons. Maybe none at all.”
“But it’s only a reprieve. A brood event will occur within the next ten years.”
“Ahhh…”
Sedam and I looked at each other and sighed.
✦ ✦ ✦
“If you killed a senior daemonist, then that’s wonderful,” said one of the elders. Eads, I think his name was. “Even making him into a vegetable is nearly as good.”
A day had passed.
I’d reported on the situation to the Council of Elders in their tent. There were deep lines on Eads’s face, but he had a fearless smile.
“Although I do apologize, since it seems I’ve ruined a traditional ritual of the warrior clan.” I bowed upon the carpet on which I sat. The warriors present, the mystic, the three elders, and Canberils all took in breaths.
“Lift your head. The mystic explained that point to us already. We’re convinced it was unavoidable,” said Caraon, the plump elder.
“I appreciate your saying so.” I knew the mystic would try to apologize to me, so I obediently raised my head.
I understood her point about me being the victim and how she should be apologizing to me, but it was a sign of respect for the clan that had fought off the daemons for five hundred years.
Elder Dalegilo rubbed at his chin. “It certainly is a disadvantage to no longer be able to use the ritual…”
“But with more information on the daemonists and the coming brood, we can investigate even further than before,” said Canberils calmly.
I was grateful for that sentiment, but when I’d first visited them, they’d said that they absolutely must not lose the power of prophecy. What had changed their attitude?
“I don’t know when it started, but to think that the prophecy ritual was being controlled by daemonists… That means even if the ritual were to resume, the same crisis might recur.”
“If that’s the case, then we don’t need the prophecy.”
“This is the collective decision of the Council of Elders.”
The three elders and the warlord all sat up straight and bowed.
“You have become great warriors. You inspire me to labor even more deeply for the warrior clan.” The elf maiden smiled, her words as gentle as ever.
✦ ✦ ✦
That is how I won the trust of the elders of the warrior clan and their mystic.
I proposed having them join my alliance, but the elders responded firmly. “It would be detrimental to your cause to form an alliance with the feared and loathed warriors.” The way they said it so calmly nearly brought tears to my eyes.
I didn’t agree with their assessment, but I wasn’t going to change everything overnight. For now, I’d at least managed to get them to be a silent partner with the alliance.
After shaking each of the three elders’ hands, the black-haired elf maiden said, “Please tell all my children to be good.”