TL/Editor: raei
Status: 5/week mon-fri
Illustrations: none
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'The space-ti wizard Gerard.'
Though they had t several tis before, Ian felt unusually unfamiliar with Gerard today.
Despite bringing gifts enough to fill several carriages, Ian strangely didn't feel happy about it.
Why was that?
Ian knew the answer.
It was because Gerard was a crafty space-ti wizard.
'Space-ti wizards know the future.'
Space-ti wizards, who handle the magic of ti and space, are both teleporters and prophets.
They use their magic to cherry-pick futures, trying to create a 'better future'.
The problem is that they never reveal what this 'better future' actually is.
Apparently, the mont they speak it, the future becos tainted?
Ian calmly stared at Gerard.
He had felt it before, but Gerard had been looking out for Ian with so purpose in mind.
Ian didn't know what that purpose was.
He hadn't really cared much either.
Gerard had always advised Ian that 'good things will happen'.
But not today.
Ian was curious about the 'future' Gerard had seen.
It was an unavoidable situation.
Even for Ian, the fight with the dragon had been tough.
"Before I say I'm glad to see you. I have a question first."
"What is it?"
Ian's 'question' felt strange. Questions didn't seem to suit a space-ti wizard.
Ian wasn't a space-ti wizard, so he didn't know how much Gerard knew or from where.
Gerard himself had said that space-ti wizards weren't gods, so he likely didn't know the details beyond major events.
Ian asked bluntly.
"The space movent scroll you gave before."
"..."
"Did you know I would use it in this battle?"
In the past, Ian had thought he should only use the space movent scroll for escape.
But after feeling an ominous sign this ti, he imdiately attempted spatial movent.
Ian had been able to defeat Predius just in ti.
Gerard hadn't said a word about the space movent scroll, and the result ca entirely from Ian's own judgnt.
Gerard slowly opened his mouth.
"Yes. I knew."
"!"
"Ian. In the future I glimpsed with space-ti magic, there were countless [branches] where you used the space movent scroll."
Ian could have used the space movent scroll at any ti.
Even for an excellent space-ti wizard like Gerard, it was impossible to accurately observe when that mont would be.
"You made the 'choice' to use the space movent scroll to save Talian, and after that choice, the future where [Talian survives] was safely fixed in the past."
All Gerard had done was hand the space movent scroll to Ian.
But after passing through countless universes of possibility...
They had reached a future where [Talian survived the black dragon's attack].
"Gerard. Then did you give the space movent scroll to save Talian?"
To Ian's question, Gerard answered sharply.
"No. The person I wanted to save was you, Ian."
"..."
"You probably know this too. Countless fates of death have brushed past you. Your death creates a branching of world lines far greater than you can imagine. I wanted to prevent that."
Ian nodded.
He had certainly gone through a lot of hardships traveling the empire.
Visiting the land of northern barbarians, fighting black wizards...
It seems the [world line] changes depending on whether Ian lived or died.
For now, the world line where Ian was alive was being maintained.
"Ian. Your survival has exceeded the critical point of any event existing in this world."
"...Critical point?"
"Yes. The great stem of fate that can no longer change."
Gerard looked straight at Ian and said.
"The fall of the Holy Empire."
------
The fall of the Holy Empire.
Such a grandiose phrase popped out that Ian's brain froze for a mont.
Wait. Wait a minute. Let's sort this out.
"Ah. So, Gerard, to prevent the fall of our Holy Empire..."
"No."
Gerard denied Ian's words.
"You seem to have misunderstood . Ian. By saving Talian, the future has crossed the critical point of [the fall of the Holy Empire]."
"That ans..."
Gerard said with a chanically expressionless face.
"The Holy Empire will soon fall."
"...!"
It was a shocking statent.
Ian felt a deep shock twice.
One was from Gerard calmly stating the fact that the empire would fall.
The other was that the damn space-ti wizard had finally uttered a proper prophecy...!
'He said it crossed the critical point.'
In other words, it ant that no matter what was done, the future could no longer be changed.
[The fall of the Holy Empire] was already a confird future.
That's why he could say it out loud!
"Wait! Gerard! The empire is really going to fall?!"
"That's right."
Gerard's expression didn't change at all.
Ian was shocked once again.
He's a psycho...! That guy must be a psycho...!
How can he talk so calmly about the empire falling?!
Is this the 'better future' Gerard had in mind!
At that mont, Eredith chid in.
"Hmm. So it ends up like that after all?"
Ian looked at Eredith in disbelief.
Gerard might be able to act like this because he's a psycho (he's not), but.
Why was his master reacting this way too?!
"Are you a psycho too, Master?!"
"? What are you talking about, Ian?"
Ian was so flustered that he asked back.
"Aren't you bothered at all? The empire is going to fall!"
Eredith stared at Ian's face for a while, then tilted her head.
"Ian. Have you ever t Emperor Shakraine II?"
Jarvan II... no, Shakraine II is the emperor of this Holy Empire.
Of course, Ian had never t the emperor.
"No? I haven't."
Then Eredith said, as if she couldn't understand:
"Then why are you so upset? Do you think the world will end if the empire falls?"
"...?"
At Eredith's reaction, Ian finally realized an important fact.
The people of the empire... have no patriotism...!
The word 'patriotism' only beca concrete after the modern era.
'Nationalism' was born first, and the word patriotism erged after the distinction between state and nation beca clear.
Of course, there might have been so 'love for one's hotown' on a small village scale, but it spreading to a national scale was a post-dia developnt thing.
Here, in the Holy Empire, except for the nobles, most citizens don't even know who their emperor is. (Baron Damon was a pri example)
The lord who collects taxes is the king, and the knight with a sword is the master!
Let's say the Holy Empire falls in the future.
... So what? That would be the reaction.
Eredith wasn't a psycho, she was just an ordinary imperial citizen.
"If the country falls!"
"If it falls?"
"The central governnt will disappear! Law and order will break down!"
"? Isn't that the sa as now?"
As he spoke, Ian felt sothing was off.
Wait...? Co to think of it, that's right?
Originally, the Holy Empire's emperor was no different from a group project leader.
The empire's public order? It was always shit to begin with.
That's why everyone's just sitting around with their feudal system!
"If the empire falls, the dukes will divide it up."
"... I guess so."
It was just a matter of scale reduction.
Compared to the dieval era's abysmal administrative capabilities, the Holy Empire was far too large.
That's why it was maintained with the loose system of feudalism.
Sure, so ancient civilization in the far east supposedly created a unified empire of 30 million people (estimated) in BC, but that was actually the super-munchkin case.
The Holy Empire was never a well-integrated country to begin with.
If it had been a proper empire, the emperor wouldn't have been doing group project leader work.
"But if the empire splits into small countries, wars will surely break out."
"That's true."
Eredith conceded cleanly.
Territory wars happen often even now, but they're wars with minimal rules.
But if the banner of the empire disappears, nobles with so power will wage conquest wars to beco kings themselves.
"But Ian. Countries being born and falling is the natural course of history."
Honestly, Ian's head was in a ss.
Ian was a wizard, and he didn't particularly like war.
There are certainly modern people who like the idea of unification wars and single empires...
But Ian was the son of a serf, and he didn't welco the idea of commoners being sacrificed in the power struggles of rulers.
Moreover, the empire was falling because Ian had saved Talian...
"Then, what if I hadn't stopped the black dragon?"
Gerard answered neatly.
"Duke Araz would have seceded from the empire."
"???"
"After that, a civil war would have broken out between the Duchy of Fargar and the Duchy of Roxlan, and the Holy Empire would have changed its na to the [Golden Empire]."
"Wait a minute..."
Ian was confused again.
Hold on, even if we got our asses kicked by the black dragon, it seems the empire would go to shit either way?!
And [Golden Empire]?
"Ian. You've heard of an organization called the [Golden Rule Society], right?"
"I've heard more than enough about them."
The crazy black wizards who claim they want to rebuild the (forr) Golden Empire.
"You and the [Golden Rule Society] stand at opposite ends of fate."
"..."
"Ian. Your existence negates the Golden Rule Society. The opposite is also true."
Opposite ends of fate.
Ian's existence brought about the fall of the Holy Empire.
But conversely, the Golden Rule Society aid to take over the intact empire and make it their own.
An absolute incompatible, fatal relationship.
"I understand."
Ian spoke in a slightly lowered voice.
"So, my clashes with the black wizards so far were so kind of pull of fate?"
"A necessity bordering on extre coincidence."
Ian thought for a mont.
If Ian beca a master of space-ti magic and could even reverse the flow of ti...
Would he go back to the past and try to change fate?
The answer was 'no'.
'What's my life about?'
Ian becoming a wizard was purely coincidental.
A coincidence mixed with the guidance of a space-ti wizard.
So, let's say Ian moved according to the space-ti wizard's will.
Does he regret becoming a wizard?
If he had lived as a serf's son all along, he wouldn't have clashed with black wizards or fought dragons to the death.
But Ian didn't regret becoming a wizard.
He had seen a new world, and now everything around him felt like it belonged to Ian.
Ian's friends.
The Knights of Santiago and Golden Finger Takarion.
Belenka, Kira, and Maria.
The people of Talian, and even Lucy Talian, the lord.
'I've already co this far.'
To borrow Gerard's expression, Ian had [crossed the critical point].
There was no turning back now.
Either protect what Ian had.
Or have everything taken away by the Golden Rule Society.
And Ian's way to stand against the black wizards was, of course, magic.
He needed to reach even higher realms.
So high that the enemies couldn't reach him no matter how they tried.
"Gerard. I know you made a wizard."
Ian looked straight at Gerard and said.
"You saw so [future] and made a wizard. To intertwine my fate with that of the empire and the Golden Rule Society. Isn't that right?"
"I can't say."
Gerard avoided answering, but Ian didn't mind.
"But whatever you're planning, I'm the master of my own fate."
"..."
"I know that space-ti wizards can only foresee fate, not directly influence it. Especially for soone like who can [change world lines], you can't lay a hand on , right?"
Gerard kept his mouth shut.
Because Ian's words were correct.
Space-ti wizards could predict the future, but they couldn't speak their prophecies out loud.
The mont a prophecy mixes with reality, errors happen, and those errors grow larger as they extend into the future.
Let's say Ian suddenly decided to kill himself right now.
All of Gerard's foreseen futures would fly out the window.
That was the limitation of space-ti magic.
"If I don't like the future you've planned, I can overturn it."
Ian was serious.
Future predictions don't determine the future.
Small presents pile up to complete the future.
Ian, living in the present, has the power to change the future.
"The sa goes for , Gerard."
Eredith looked at Gerard with cold eyes.
Ian was her only disciple.
She absolutely couldn't stand by and watch her disciple be used as a long-term pawn by space-ti wizards.
"If you try anything funny with Ian... you'd better be prepared."
After Ian and Eredith each said their piece, Gerard looked rather flustered.
"As long as your will remains strong, the future won't change easily. I have no intention of altering your futures either."
"How can we believe that?"
"That's right."
As Ian and Eredith stared intently, Gerard scratched his cheek.
"Hmm... You need proof, is that it?"
The only proof a space-ti wizard could offer was, of course, prophecy.
But the future gets tainted by the present the mont it's prophesied...
"Alright. I'll tell you about the future."
"!"
"!"
Both of them were surprised at the sa ti.
What's going on today?!
Gerard making two prophecies in one day!
"Is it okay to tell us?"
Eredith asked instead.
Gerard spoke in his characteristic blunt tone.
"Of course, it's dangerous. But if it's to intertwine our fates, then so be it."
It ant it was a huge challenge even from Gerard's perspective.
He wanted to gain Ian's trust, even if it ant taking risks.
"Ian. The future I hope for you is..."
Gerard declared solemnly.
"A future where you beco a teacher."
"...?"
For a mont, Ian was dumbfounded.
What...?
---
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