Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint 263

The fate of the prophet is unbelief.

Myths, legends, fairy tales. The prophecy is not kept anywhere. When you warn them to avoid danger, they stick to it like a magnet, and when advised to follow the revelation, they sneer and trample on it.

Confident that I was a prophet, Sikhlund sowed distrust towards my friends.

“look. Why didn't Huey prevent Hamelin's tragedy, as she can see both the strategy and the disguise of the Six Generals at once? With his abilities and knowledge, he would have known the extent of Nicholas' plans in advance.”

“Sophistry… !”

“In the beginning. Why did Nicholas want to commit a taboo? It's because Huey lacks talent compared to his qualities. Who was most active when Nicholas tried to break the taboo? Hugh who led you to defeat Nicholas. Even as a result, Huey succeeded in planting a bomb called Historia in the deepest part of the military. At the most decisive moment, he made a traitor who would betray the military because of personal affection into a sixth general!”

Shiati had already been liberated. Still, Shiati stared at me with no intention of attacking him. Even if he wanted to express something, he couldn't put it into words, so with a face in agony as if his emotions were stuck in his throat.

'It was eaten. no, that's the only way The prophet has always been the object of hatred and persecution. That changed when Seonghwangcheong took over… .'

After confirming that his intentions had been fulfilled, Sikhlund continued with a grin.

“ruler. Simple logic! If the piper had power close to omniscience or intelligence, or had intuition close to it. Why did he let the children die in Hameln? Didn't you realize ahead of time that the commander-in-chief was planning to commit a taboo? Of course, because he meant it all! Otherwise, I can’t explain it!”

“no!”

Historia was in relatively good shape.

Her regret was towards herself, who couldn't move at that time. Whether I was the culprit or whatever, she was guilty of letting the tragedy flow that she could have prevented.

But if you ask me if my feelings towards me are the same as before, that's not the case again.

“Don’t listen! This is his trick! You're trying to create an internal division!”

“His plan started before my scheme. No, it's called fate! Before you risk me and fall, shouldn't you be questioning me, Historia?!”

Historia shouted loudly, as if trying to cover Sieghrund's voice. However, Sikhlund's voice, which had been reinforced by smoke, did not go anywhere. Historia was annoyed at the sound of his still piercing ears and grabbed me.

“day off! Hurry up, tell me! You just got caught up!”

Even Historia, who wants to believe in me, can't erase the creeping doubts. Gazes of resentment and distrust gradually pouring in. Even if you keep your mouth shut, even if you open your mouth and say something, you can't get out of the swamp of doubt.

To be honest, you're right. But there were plenty of opportunities to escape, and there were plenty of ways to escape.

Still, I was in Hameln. Knowing that Nicholas would drive the children to death, he followed his plan.

because.

“I got caught up. He wasn't wrong. I knew Nicholas' plans.”

“… day off?”

“Still, I followed. Because that was the wish of Nicholas.”

Historia faltered at my markedly changed attitude and retreated. I took a step past Historia.

To Shiati, who was confused and engulfed in fear, and to Sikhlund, who was overjoyed.

'Are you finally thinking about talking? Yeah, it's going to be hard to get out of here without revealing it now. You, who have achieved what you want using only the power of others, losing your trust would be fatal!'

That's right. But there's one other thing.

Sikhlund's guess. Anyway, in reality, I'm just an average person with a little bit of mind reading. I don't know of grand mysteries like prophecy.

But you don't have to be honest. Do you know how I survived Tantalus?

“Mr Sikhlund. Why did I leave Nicholas alone until he broke the taboo? Would you like to give it a try?”

“It will be to fulfill the prophecy.”

“no. Because he had to have a chance to make his wish come true.”

“… wind?”

yes, wind.

Nicholas was clearly a calculating person and a person who treated lesser than his standards, but until that incident, he was a caring instructor to me. He had committed his taboo, rather than having his hands dirty and forcing him to make a stage.

Oh, of course, thank you at all. Because he was only faithful to his desires.

“I wanted to contribute to the military. I was trying to force myself to look beyond that if I could only increase the size of my strength.”

“But you didn’t. Because Seonghwangcheong rejects the existence of taboos.”

“no. different. Not because it's taboo, but because it's going to change me. Having the homeostasis to protect myself, I had to resist it. So I joined forces with like-minded friends to stop him.”

Nicholas lacked the strength to carry out his will. So he was defeated. The children have achieved an encouraging victory over their instructors.

“But despite the wins, the kids lost what they wanted. They wanted to be recognized by this country, so they participated in the graduation practice, but the only thing they realized was that the country had abandoned them. Everyone resented and hated the military.”

Sieghrund's laughter slowly stopped.

“… So, have you come to overthrow the military according to their wishes?”

“no. There are very few people who can have a desire to destroy a country. This is because the country is so large and invisible at a glance that even the person concerned does not know what a country is. How can you hate someone when you don't know them? If it’s a kingdom, it’s enough to have a king, but even a military kingdom is a country without a king.”

“then? What were their wishes?”

“It is the most irresponsible and burdensome wind in the world.”

And it is the windiest wind in the world. I closed my eyes and muttered.

“They just wanted to be remembered as they died.”

He hoped that death would not be meaningless even if he died because he lacked the will or strength to live any longer. I wanted someone to understand my suffering and despair.

“But there is neither heaven nor hell in this world. There is no afterlife. Of course, no one will remember them except for themselves.”

Death is the end in itself. There is nothing beyond that, and death is just another name for stillness.

Natural results, such as a rolling stone crashing into something and stopping, or a floating cloud turning into water droplets. No, nature itself.

The metaphysical and surreal meaning imposed on it is a delusion that is not even an illusion.

But I can't abandon even that wind.

“I am the smallest ossuary in the world. A library dedicated to the forgotten.”

I remember everything I went through. Because it was the wind.

Death has no meaning, so shouting that you are ready to die is a pretentious excuse. It's an air ticket that no one intends to repay.

But on the other hand, someone is slowly paying off that irresponsible debt. Because it is the wind.

“The man who plays the flute.”

He led the wandering children and taught them how to fight against powerful enemies. She and she remember and reminisce about the dead children.

“Doctor from the East. A sailor passing by. wandering mercenary. hermit sage. dervish. Gilson. He has been called by that name.”

A desire to commit a taboo, to overcome the taboo, to achieve it even if it is a violation of the taboo.

Whispers of ways to achieve things that cannot be achieved with ordinary ideas. A character that is likely to exist in a fairy tale, a play, a legend, an epic, or a story.

“I am an ordinary person.”

I didn't tell all the truth, but everything I said was the truth. No matter how much you doubt and dig, you will never find a contradiction.

In the end, Sikhlund, unable to find any contradictions, tentatively concluded that what I said was the truth.

'There are several similar traditions. A chest that evokes nightmares, a lamp that grants wishes, etc. But, could a human being possess that kind of mystery… ?'

My identity is a mind reader. I face the blatant desires of humans, so I will grant them if possible. As far as possible, though.

So if you hide your mind-reading skills and highlight that point, you won't be lying.

Sikhlund thought about me with some regrets about what he had said before.

“… Isn't that a prophet sent by Seonghwangcheong?”

“You cannot be a prophet. After the first saint was crucified, she became only a saint to prophesy. How can I, as a man, prophesy?”

“It’s okay to make up things like that. That the saint is manipulating behind her, or that she is moving after receiving a revelation. Or that she cheated on the gender in some way. There are many ways to deceive.”

Is it because of his ability to reverse magic or is it an occupational disease? He has a pretty open mind. Had the regressor been in front of me, the fact of disguising myself as a man would have been found out.

“Wow, I’m actually a woman, and that’s a saint? For me, the last resort is the most attractive! I wanted to experience a woman's body at least once in my life! ah!”

He clapped his hands as if he had just remembered and pointed to Sieghrund.

“Come to think of it, there is an experienced person who has changed his body right in front of me. It used to be Historia until a while ago, but it was changed to Caropald's, right? How do you feel when you're a man? No, should I ask how it felt to be a woman? Sikhlund, what is your original form?”

“… Originally, it shouldn't be revealed, but there's no point in hiding it from you. It's not polite to wear the face of a dead friend.”

Mumbling suspiciously whether this was a human voice, he covered his face with his palms and changed his skeleton. A rumble was heard, and his bones and muscles that were holding his qigong were repositioned. His hair changes color from the root to black.

Returning to the 'original form' was several times faster and more natural than transforming. It's probably because he's constantly rehearsing his 'original figure'.

A man with a neat impression appeared to be exemplary. A man who looks just like a plain white drawing paper in a bad sense. Average size as well. The body is a little thin. Every time I read Sikhlund's thoughts, the 'original look' that kept glimmering… .

“Don’t come all the way here and lie to me. How is that original?”

this is not

“A unique face. average height. Moderately skinny body. A master of qigong is like that? ah, it can't be No matter how you look at it, that’s the default setting for Aki’s avatar, right?”

Sikhlund replied immediately.

“I don’t know what you mean. This is the original appearance of me, the army general, Sikhlund.”

“ah. such a setting?”

Man does not paint his face in his mind. Because his own face, his own body, are always there.

Paradoxically, what Sikhlund kept repeating himself and remembering in his head so as not to forget his original body.

“Then what about before you become a six-star? What name and face did you live with before that? No, what kind of face did you have before you learned how to reverse the role?”

Sieghrund's face twitched. His face was like a blank sheet of paper, and he drew the feeling of being upset. It's a face that's perfect for showing off.

So it can't be real.

I wiped the smile off my face and questioned him.

“Who the hell are you?”