309 – Test of Fate
“···I’m going to test you. “What does that mean?”
The moment they realized their opponent’s identity, they naturally expected them to be hostile towards them, but the goddess of fate actually said something strange.
As the goddess of fate, I will test whether Raven is worthy of opening a future that no one knows about.
Although she thought over what she just said, it was still close to impossible for her to understand its true meaning.
When Eldina asked with her eyebrows furrowed, the princess kindly answered again. Much more detailed this time.
“Other gods cannot get involved in this fight. It’s not a question of whether you’re strong or weak. Because it’s a question of qualifications. No matter how powerful they are, ultimately even the gods are inevitable beings bound to the wheel. “It is impossible to control the variables of uncertainty that destroy fate.”
The fight does not end even if Raven is killed as a punishment.
In the end, the variable of uncertainty will be passed on to other humans and will one day reveal itself. From God’s perspective, it doesn’t matter who the person is.
The gods, who have realized that uncertainty can destroy fate due to the current situation, want to somehow eliminate the variables themselves.
However, since killing Raven would not change anything, the gods essentially gave up on getting involved in the fight.
Of course, if you go out of your way to kill him right now, there will be some delay in time, but for the gods who live forever anyway, such a momentary delay has no meaning.
Thus, the goddess of fate moved directly. She is the only being who can be said to be qualified to interfere with fate, that is, to have the potential to control uncertainty.
However, as she said earlier, she did not try to eliminate uncertainty unconditionally.
Rather, we believe that variables that do not know where they will fall are the flow of change that will purify the stagnant lake of destiny.
“···In that case, you can just leave us alone and not disturb us.”
“That can’t be possible. If this body, the goddess of fate, just goes along with it, it means that fate has flown as it was destined. “If you truly want to destroy fate, you have to go against my own will.”
I thought it was a really useless process, but it was impossible for even Eldina to completely understand the huge mechanism called fate. Even though she didn’t like the current situation, it seemed like she had no choice but to follow what the other person said.
“So what should I do?”
“It’s simple. I decide fate and then break it. “If it breaks, it’s their victory. If not, it’s my victory.”
The other person’s very casual attitude, as if they were just playing house, seemed very foreign.
Eldina frowned slightly and turned around slightly to check Raven’s condition.
It was clear that the damage accumulated while fighting the masked man had not yet been recovered.
I don’t know how long I have to wait to wake up.
According to the original plan, once he got here, he could regain his divine power and solve everything himself, so he planned to let Raven rest well.
But things have changed. She was not qualified to participate in the current fight, nor was Eldina.
At least the only being who can take the test suggested by the Goddess of Fate is Raven, who has the power of uncertainty.
Should we wait until Sharon and the others return?
No, are you sure that Sharon and the others haven’t arrived yet?
Perhaps she arrived a long time ahead of them and while waiting here, she was ‘eliminated’ by the person in front of her?
However, in Sharon’s group, there were as many as two transcendents, an operator and an agency leader.
No matter how much he is a god, there will be limitations in using his divine power as long as he is on the ground.
It may be impossible to win against God, but it is possible to at least hold out for time. At least there were no signs of battle around.
I can’t believe that they overwhelmingly defeated two transcendents in such a short period of time.
Can the Goddess of Fate ignore even the laws of the world?
Does it have the ability of uncertainty like Raven?
“···What did the original owner of this place do?”
Furthermore, none of the golems that were wandering around inside the association were visible.
Eldina, who belatedly realized how quiet and quiet her surroundings were, raised her alertness.
“They just got out of the way for a moment. “For the stage of this test.”
“······.”
It was a very annoying tone. Even though I know that most gods talk that way, it’s a way of speaking that can’t help but make people angry. When I realized that I might have been like that in the past, I felt a sense of self-destruction.
Whatever it was, I didn’t think I could solve the current situation simply by holding on for time.
Furthermore, the opponent does not want to fight.
They want to settle the matter through a suspicious method called ‘exam’.
It is unknown what the test is, but considering Raven’s current physical condition, there is no doubt that it is a much better option than combat.
Eldina answered after hesitation.
“If Raven accepts… “I won’t object either.”
“Isn’t that natural? In the first place, this test was just me and my own stage. All you have to do is quietly watch from the stands.”
“······.”
I don’t like it either. It was especially unpleasant to see the woman staring at Raven behind her, her eyes sparkling with interest.
If you think about it, ever since you first encountered her as a princess, you have felt her subtle reluctance.
It was only today that I fully realized the reason, but instead of feeling refreshed that my doubts were resolved, my displeasure only grew stronger.
“Instead, just wait until Raven wakes up.”
“Ah. It doesn’t matter. “I’m going to wake up now anyway.”
As if those words were an alarm, as soon as the words were finished, Raven slowly woke up with a small moan.
···She is indeed the goddess of fate who predicts the future.
Although she understood it calmly in her head, I secretly grinned at the structure as if her partner knew more about her lover than she did.
“This is…?”
Raven seemed slightly taken aback by the sudden change in his location compared to his last memory.
Eldina explained her process so far in an easy-to-understand manner to him.
“It’s a test of fate…”
The phantom thief, who muttered quietly after hearing her entire story, slowly stood up and faced her opponent directly.
Princess Victoria does not avoid eye contact, but rather smiles leisurely.
Indeed, even though she was a goddess whose beauty transcended humans, she had reached such a great level that it would not be an exaggeration. Even so, she was already used to Raven thanks to other goddesses of a similar level.
“Did you take care of the sword this body gave you at that time?”
“Oh, you mean that sword? “I returned it to its original owner.”
Raven smiled bitterly as she recalled the distant past that she could not even remember.
Excalibur, the greatest treasure of the Britannian royal family.
Now, Vivian, the spirit of the lake, is probably taking care of it and keeping it somewhere.
He was puzzled by the attitude of the princess, who readily gave him such an important treasured sword even after knowing that he was a phantom thief. He never imagined that they would meet again like this.
“I guess that was your intention from the beginning when you approached me.”
“I won’t deny it in any way. “It would be even stranger if you, as the goddess of fate and possessing the power of uncertainty, are not interested in you.”
The princess had never once been hostile to him.
No, on the contrary, they showed a strangely friendly attitude and actively cooperated.
Even though he knew that he was a phantom thief who had tried to steal her royal treasure and take her as her hostage.
If the princess hadn’t told her first, Raven might have lost much of her mind without accurately understanding the concept of ‘God’s apostle’. If he hadn’t handed over Excalibur, he wouldn’t have received Vivian’s cooperation.
At this point, I can’t help but wonder.
“Why did you help me?”
Fate and uncertainty are opposing concepts that can never coexist.
So, I wondered why she, the goddess of fate, did not do so even though she had the opportunity to do so.
Victoria’s answer was very simple.
“Because I was curious.”
“I was curious…?”
“Okay. Whether or not the fate this body has seen can be broken by your hands. “Will it be possible to break the gigantic wheel of fate that even God can’t help but be crushed by?”
It is a small hope that we embrace as an absolute being who lives in eternity and knows everything about eternity to come. The pure wish of a person who is tired of being bound by infinite bonds.
“What is the future you see?”
“It’s just like I said. “This story ends with you failing to achieve your dream and meeting a terrible end.”
That is something that a god should be happy about.
The variables that threaten to destroy order are safely eliminated and the world regains stability.
But at the same time, it’s a very boring and boring ending.
In a corner of her heart, she had no choice but to watch the phantom thief’s actions carefully, hoping that something surprising would happen that no one could have predicted.
“So what are you going to do? Would you like to face the great power of fate?”
Raven smiled and answered her question without much hesitation.
“We’ve always clashed from the beginning.”
“That’s a great attitude. To the point where I fell in love with it.”
With her laughter, the Goddess of Fate finally unleashed her own power and invited her Phantom Thief to her final test.
“···This place.”
It is a familiar space.
The scene unfolded in front of her class, where she went to school every day when she was a student at the academy.