Neril asked,
“Mide, did you figure sothing out?”
I quickly composed myself and replied as calmly as I could.
“Yeah. I guess it’s safe to tell you now. I just checked through Trail. My current fa is about 280,000. Kaeld’s is around 410,000.”
Everyone looked at , stunned into silence.
After a while, Lisel finally spoke.
“That’s about a 130,000 difference. I’m not great with numbers, but…”
“You usually gain about 20,000 to 30,000 fa from completing a quest.”
“Wait, then that’s a huge gap!”
“Exactly. That just shows the massive quality gap between the two oracles.”
To be precise, it was the difference in content between the oracles that made the real impact.
“Idria nad as the Demon King’s pawn. That’s likely the key reason I couldn’t gain as much fa as Kaeld.”
“Let’s just go back to the starting line! We can grab that Celestial God by the collar and demand a new oracle!”
“And say what? ‘Oh, you forgot sothing earlier’? You think the people of the continent would take that seriously?”
“…”
“Forget taking it seriously. They would just say, ‘See? The first oracle was right after all.’ Asking for a new one would completely backfire.”
The group fell silent for a mont.
I spoke again in a gentle voice.
“But there’s good news, too.”
“Huh? Like what…?”
“At least in the regions we passed through, there’s been no unrest. In those places, my fa still shines brightly.”
“…!”
“Trail told to pass on a ssage, just keep doing what we have been doing. He said we can definitely make a coback.”
Trail protested.
[Hey, I never told you to pass that on.]
‘Don’t be shy.’
Once again, the group fell into silence.
But this silence was different, it lasted longer.
They were feeling the sa overwhelming emotion that I had just monts ago.
“This… feels kind of strange.”
“It’s actually kind of moving.”
“Everything we have done has been building up, even without us realizing.”
“I think there’s still hope. That’s a relief.”
“We just need to keep going, like Mr. Trail said.”
The atmosphere brightened considerably.
I was about to say sothing when Neril spoke first.
“Hey, can I change the topic for a mont?”
“Of course.”
“Thanks. Mide, we have currently set the capital as our destination, right?”
“Huh? Yeah.”
“Do we actually have a reason to go there?”
I shook my head.
“Not really. I just figured the capital has the largest population, so I wanted to see how public sentint had shifted.”
“Then let’s change our destination. I an, Trail can check public sentint for us, right?”
I tilted my head.
“I don’t mind, but… where to?”
“Gabriel Territory.”
“You an…”
“Yeah, the land once ruled by the Erenica family.”
Offense spoke gently.
“You have got quite a history with that place, don’t you?”
“Yeah. But don’t get the wrong idea. I’m not suggesting it for personal reasons.”
“Then why?”
“I’m surprised none of you noticed. Just look at Mide’s face for a second.”
Everyone turned to .
I touched my face, puzzled.
“What? Do I have sothing on it?”
“No, and that’s the problem.”
“Huh?”
“Sigh. I’m talking about the Hero’s Mark. The mark!”
Ah!
Our jaws dropped in unison.
It was sothing we had discussed when I first t Neril.
When an oracle is received, a Hero’s Mark is engraved on the hero’s forehead, Neril had said she could craft it if needed.
Xenia nodded.
“That’s right. All past heroes had their Hero’s Mark appear after receiving an oracle.”
“Exactly. But Mide hasn’t gotten one.”
“Why not, though?”
“My guess is that damned Celestial God deliberately left it out. Even if we went back and asked again…”
“They wouldn’t listen. And I doubt they would even show up if we blew that horn again.”
They were right.
This was a serious issue.
Xenia asked,
“So… Miss Neril, are you saying you plan to engrave a fake Hero’s Mark? In Gabriel Territory?”
Neril nodded.
I didn’t know how exactly she planned to do it, but for us who didn’t have a clear next objective, this felt like a guiding light.
I spoke with sincerity.
“Thank you. Honestly, I was starting to feel a bit lost.”
“It’s nothing.”
“With how my fa’s been crushed by that terrible oracle, there’s nothing more important than engraving the mark right now.”
“Exactly. If you don’t even have the mark, then Idria’s fake oracle will end up being taken as the truth.”
I was about to thank her again…
Our group had regained its sense of purpose.
No matter how tough the situation, when humans have a concrete next step, they can find strength again.
Neril had given us that next step.
I wasn’t joking, at this mont, Neril looked more beautiful than ever.
I felt the urge to express that feeling.
“Neril, you are really…”
“But wait, sis… what exactly do you an by saying we have to go to Gabriel Territory to engrave the mark?”
Adwin interrupted.
I had no choice but to close my mouth.
For so reason, Offense and Lisel both covered their face with one hand.
“So young.”
“Too young.”
“Huh? You’re not talking about , are you?”
“Good ears.”
“Because you’re young.”
Adwin tilted his head in confusion.
Then Neril shrugged and answered.
“Well, it’s the Hero’s Mark we’re talking about. It’s not sothing I can just whip up with so random magic. If anyone finds out it’s fake, Mide will lose his credibility as the hero.”
“Fair point.”
“In Gabriel Territory, there was a gravekeeper who watched over the Erenica family tomb. That old man had a storage filled with family treasures.”
She must have ant that elderly man who was killed by the shopkeeper Grey.
I felt nostalgic rembering when I t Neril for the first ti after returning. But I didn’t show it and just asked,
“Didn’t Grey’s gang steal all the treasures?”
“Rember how I hunted every single one of them down?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, while I was at it, I tracked down the treasures they had sold. I recovered all of them and returned them to that old man’s storage.”
Ah. I got the idea now.
Xenia chid in.
“This might be off-topic, but… what happened to that Erenica family’s heirloom? The tiline doesn’t match up for Grey’s gang to have taken it.”
“Right. That incident was 30 years ago.”
“…”
“That book… well, it was during a ti when I was going through a bit of a slump. It’s not that important. Can we just skip over it?”
“Sure. It doesn’t really matter anymore anyway.”
Neril smiled gently, grateful for the change of subject.
She returned to the topic.
“Anyway, there’s one item I need from those treasures I recovered. It’s necessary to engrave the Hero’s Mark.”
“What is it?”
“You will see when we get there. Mide, are you okay with this plan?”
I nodded without hesitation.
“Of course.”
“Great. Xenia.”
Xenia nodded firmly and shouted to Agril,
“Agril, full speed to Gabriel Territory!”
Agril sped up again.
Serein also moved to infuse Agril with divine power.
She’s basically running on autopilot at this point.
Once things settled down, I scratched my head and turned to Neril.
I wanted to finish what I was saying before Adwin interrupted.
“Hey, Neril.”
“Yeah?”
“You’re really…”
“Oh, right. Xenia! Once we are inside Gabriel Territory, don’t go all the way in just yet. Do you have the map?”
Neril cut off and ran to Xenia.
Maybe it was just , but her face looked slightly red.
Adwin grinned.
“See? Even Neril cut you off. So it’s not just because I’m young!”
Offense and Lisel exchanged glances.
“So young.”
“Very young, indeed.”
Stop it. I’m going to cry.
It was at that mont.
Pop.
Suddenly, a screen appeared.
A red screen.
‘Huh? Is that Idria?’
[……]
‘Why? Isn’t it?’
[It is Idria’s authority, but… sothing feels a bit off. Maybe I’m just imagining it.]
I tilted my head in confusion.
Trail continued speaking.
[Either way, soone is definitely spying on us.]
‘To use divine authority again right after issuing a fake prophecy… She must be overflowing with power.’
[Actually, it doesn’t look like she has power to spare.] ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novel·fiɾe·net
Trail was right.
The screen quickly turned blue again.
The spying had stopped within seconds.
Trail spoke in a light tone.
[At this rate, they probably didn’t catch anything.]
‘No.’
[Hm?]
I touched my forehead.
‘They saw that I don’t have the Hero’s Mark.’
[……]
‘Maybe… we will have to raise hell in the Gabriel territory after all.’
Kaeld was looking at his reflection in a stream.
It was there.
Etched clearly on his forehead.
“Kh… ahaha!”
A sound ca from his mouth, half laughter, half crazed shout.
The Hero’s Mark.
A divine mark no one could deny was now inscribed on his forehead.
At this mont, he felt he could bow his head to Idria in genuine gratitude.
And so, he turned to do just that.
But…
“Huff, huff…”
Idria wasn’t in any state to accept thanks.
She had collapsed, clutching her chest, her face twisted in pain.
“What’s going on? Are you okay?”
“Worm, help . Let’s get back into the cave.”
“O-okay.”
Kaeld supported Idria and helped her inside.
He laid her down on the flat rock where she always slept.
Kaeld asked.
“Are you alright?”
“Don’t ask foolish questions.”
“…This might not be the right ti, but the oracle you gave was fake, right? So how did I get the Hero’s Mark on my forehead?”
“If I can forge a fake oracle, don’t you think I can do the sa with a Mark?”
Idria coughed a few more tis before continuing.
“Don’t worry. There’s no way your mark can be discovered as fake. My power to create fakes is undetectable by any spell or magic.”
Kaeld, however, was more concerned about Idria’s pale complexion than the mark.
Not because he was worried about her.
What he truly worried about was himself.
‘If she dies now, I lose my ticket to becoming the Hero. That would be a disaster.’
Idria coughed again and said:
“Cough. I overdid it.”
“Even a Demon King struggles to impersonate a Celestial God, huh?”
“Even adding a single letter to the oracle requires imnse power. By my original calculations, I shouldn’t be this weak.”
She took a deep breath and continued:
“But it couldn’t be helped. If I didn’t pressure Mide like this, it would have been too dangerous.”
“You really think he’s going to receive the oracle from the Celestial God?”
Idria opened her mouth to answer.
But there was no need.
A golden light shone from outside the cave.
“N-no way…”
“Looks like he did it.”
“A human forcing a prophecy from the Celestial God? Is that even possible?!”
“Instead of screaming, go see for yourself. I’d rather not be exposed to that uncomfortable light.”
Kaeld dashed out of the cave without another word.
And there, he heard the voice of a true oracle.
“Demon King of Lies and Deception, Idria, has descended.”
“In response, I appoint a Hero. His na is Mide Mohan.”
“Gather under him, and rise against the Demon King.”
Just three lines.
Idria’s oracle branded Mide as the Demon King’s lackey.
But the real prophecy didn’t even ntion Kaeld.
It didn’t deny him, it ignored him completely.
Kaeld’s grin stretched ear to ear as he sprinted back into the cave.
“Idria! It worked!”
“……”
“The real oracle didn’t even ntion . It just calmly stated Mide is the hero. Totally different from your detailed, manipulative version!”
“Cough.”
“Idria?”
Just then, she coughed up black blood.
Kaeld hurried to her, only to be stopped.
Tap.
Soone grabbed his shoulder.
‘Who?’
He hadn’t sensed a single presence.
Kaeld felt a chill run down his spine.
As he turned, a sharp voice rang out.
“Do not turn around. Do not speak.”
“……”
“Wasting ti on you is beneath .”
Whoosh.
The voice’s owner hurled Kaeld backwards.
Despite his bulky fra, Kaeld was flung like a ragdoll, crashing into the cave wall.
“Gah!”
Only then did he get a good look at the speaker.
A knight clad in heavy armor.
Not the radiant silver of the Holy Knights, but a somber black suit of armor.
The knight rushed to Idria’s side.
“Lady Idria, are you alright?”
“Sobius. Sorry to show you this sorry state.”
“You overexerted yourself. I won’t deny that.”
“Heh… It had to be done. If I hadn’t added those extra lines to the fake oracle, Mide’s fa would have far surpassed Kaeld’s.”
The knight glared at Kaeld with a sharp gaze.
“Was it really worth the effort for such a maggot?”
“It’s not because I like him.”
“Sigh…”
“Anyway, Kaeld, listen carefully.”
Kaeld struggled to stand.
He didn’t like Sobius, who had thrown him like trash, but he wasn’t dumb enough to argue right now.
“What?”
“Now that you have the Hero’s Mark, only one task remains: you must kill .”
“…!”
“A fake Hero, created by the Demon King, slays the Demon King. The ultimate Lie. That alone will grant imnse power. With that power…”
“……”
“I will cast a true deception.”
So this was the real climax, Kaeld thought.
But Idria shook her head as if mocking that assumption.
“But right now, I’m too weak.”
“Clearly.”
“Who would fear a feeble Demon King? I must be invincible, feared and hated across the world.”
Kaeld understood imdiately.
If he killed Idria now and announced her death, people would react with, “Already? That was anticlimactic.”
No one would be impressed by his heroics.
“So the more I shine, the greater your lie will beco.”
“Exactly. That’s why I need ti to recover.”
“Got it. What do I do until then?”
“Two things.”
Idria took a labored breath and continued.
“First, reveal your party mbers to the world.”
“What? You want to recruit new companions now?”
“Every Hero in history has had companions. A Hero without a party isn’t a Hero.”
“……”
“You must be perfect, so perfect that no one can doubt your authenticity. Even if it’s just for show, introduce your new companions.”
Kaeld frowned.
“You say it like they are already ready.”
“You already have your first party mber right here.”
Kaeld’s eyes widened.
Idria looked at Sobius and said:
“My First Finger. I know you won’t like it, but you will beco Kaeld’s first party mber.”
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