Chapter 285: Sacrifice (4)
TL/Editor: Raei
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Theo turned his back.
He asked Jang Woohee.
"Ask away."
"...Have you seen how strong you become in the future?"
Jang Woohee recalled Theo fighting against a robot.
His movements were fast.
It was to the extent that she, who had just learned to dodge incoming projectiles, had to focus intently not to miss it.
It was also heavy.
He sliced through the robot's body without much effort, unlike her, who had to exert all her strength to cut through.
'It was like the movement of... father.'
Theo answered.
"Roughly."
"Can you tell me how much stronger I'll become in the future?"
Jang Woohee asked back.
Her eyes were as pure as a pilgrim who had witnessed a living mystery.
Theo shook his head.
"No. I can't see it clearly anymore."
Jang Woohee's eyes widened.
"! ...Then."
"Yes. I can no longer see the future clearly."
After saying that, Theo closed his mouth.
What he said was true.
The future had changed so much that prior knowledge of the game was now unreliable.
For example, the protagonist of the game, Neike, couldn't hear the [Demon Sword]'s voice, which he can.
He's even using qi, a concept not even introduced in the game.
'Just now, I didn't even involve the Elven warriors of the great forest in the battle against the robots.'
The future had changed, perhaps by 180 degrees.
Now he's in too deep. He's stepped in too far.
'...The fact that I killed Maitri will also be conveyed to the core of [Turning White] by today.'
All he wanted was to graduate from the academy with the best grades, but now he's on the verge of war with one of the largest military forces on the continent.
Suddenly, a ninja who liked ramen and ended up saving the world[1], having initially aimed to become the head of a village, flashed through Theo's mind.
'...I have no regrets.'
Even if he could go back to the time just after he possessed this body, he would make the same choices.
Well...
When he thought about it, the future became twisted a long time ago.
Jang Woohee silently watched Theo, who had closed his mouth and was lost in thought.
'...Not being able to see the future.'
She didn't know there was a usage limit to prophetic abilities.
'With great power comes a great price...'
His prophetic ability was incredible.
But now it's unusable.
Partly because she often asked him to see the future.
Jang Woohee bowed her head 90 degrees to Theo.
It lacked the elegance of nobility, but the gesture was full of sincerity.
"...I'm sorry."
"No need to apologize."
Theo continued calmly.
"I knew it would happen sooner or later."
"But..."
"Let's leave it at that. Shouldn't you be protecting your friend?"
Theo turned his back.
Jang Woohee silently watched his back.
Though she often struggled to empathize with others, this time was different.
She felt like she could understand his heart.
'...It must be a heavy blow. To wake up and not see the future that was once clear.'
He appeared unfazed, but she knew.
He was not the type to open up about his feelings. She knew he was kinder than he appeared.
'He's pretending it's nothing... to lessen my burden... because he worries I might care.'
It felt like her heart was being squeezed.
Then, Theo turned his head back and spoke.
"Do you have other matters to attend to here, Jang Woohee?"
After wiping the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand while still facing away, she answered.
"No..."
"Then let's go."
"Uh... okay."
Jang Woohee nodded and followed behind Theo.
---
Raei Translations
---
Theo and his group returned to the lobby where Croc and the paladins were.
Theo explained the situation to Croc.
The person in charge here, Thomas, had died in an unfortunate accident, and the researchers were being held herebecause Thomas had something on them.
Croc spoke up.
"You've had a hard time, Theo. However... I must report to my superiors. We've mobilized a company of paladins, and there were some casualties, however minor."
"Are you saying you need evidence to prove some wicked deeds took place here, Croc?"
Croc pointed at the remnants of robots scattered on the floor with his finger.
"Yes, Theo. These aren't enough. We investigated these while you were away, but it's hard to see them as related to demons."
Theo nodded.
Croc continued.
"The main reason we mobilized the Order of Paladins was the presence of a Shrine worshiping a Great Demon here. Since we haven't found the Shrine, we must take these researchers as suspects."
In essence, he was asking to hand over the researchers to them.
Theo immediately responded.
"The Shrine does exist. I heard it from the person in charge here. They're not worshiping one entity, but at least three."
"Such a thing!"
Croc's eyes widened.
Although the role of paladins has evolved to involve deployment in various conflicts, from the beginning, their purpose has been the destruction of demons.
And after losing his parents to demons, Croc joined the order to kill demons.
He's a rare genuine paladin.
Croc exclaimed.
"Where is this place, Theo! We'll go immediately!"
"Don't you need to prepare, Croc? It's not just one, but more than three. And these aren't demons using contractors' bodies, but real demons that have descended into the middle realm. Even if you despise demons, you can't recklessly throw your subordinates into danger! Unless you're just taking a quick inspection?"
Croc nodded vigorously.
"Yes, Theo. You're spot on! Having been in the divine's embrace for so long, I can gauge demonic energies, albeit faintly."
"Then let's depart immediately, Croc."
"Yes, I will follow!"
Croc stood beside Theo.
'The Shrine's location is probably the same as in the game.'
With that thought, Theo walked towards the Shrine.
---
Raei Translations
---
Upon arriving at the Shrine, Croc murmured.
"This is it..."
Croc's eyes trembled slightly.
He had never felt such strong and vile demonic energy before.
He had participated in the subjugation of intermediate demons several times, but those experiences paled in comparison to now.
'To feel this much without even facing the demon directly...'
Croc said to Theo beside him.
"It's certain, Theo. With such powerful demons... our current forces are surely insufficient."
Theo replied with a stern face.
"Then let's retreat for now. Facing such foul beings, the blood in my veins is in turmoil. I might not be able to control myself here."
[Descendant of a Hero] was indeed causing his blood to stir, but he was capable of controlling himself.
In other words, Theo was lying.
'I need to spit out this much.'
Theo planned to participate in the demon raid as a key figure and solidify his standing within the Order of Light.
'To direct the Order of Light's arrows towards [Turning White].'
[Turning White] was crawling with strong individuals, not just Maitri.
[Ford Company] was just the tip of the iceberg.
It was essential to involve the continent's largest military organization, the Order, as much as possible.
For those in the Order, demon subjugation is the highest honor.
Moreover, the demons inside the Shrine were not just intermediate demons but high-tier demonsGreat Demons.
The Order's higher-ups would drool over this information. Such a definitive achievement was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
They would likely fight among themselves for the leading role.
'Naturally, the Practitioners will come as well.'
The last bastion of the Order of Light, the practitioners.
True to being the guardians of humanity's largest religious group, each of them possesses formidable power.
Thus, Theo methodically arranged his plans in his mind.
Croc looked at Theo's stern face.
'...This kid hates demons as much as I do.'
Croc felt a sense of camaraderie.
"Ah, understood. Of course, we should retreat."
Croc stepped away from the Shrine's entrance.
Theo approached Croc and spoke.
"At the event site, there's the body of the real leader of this vile group. A guy named Maitri, who had contracted with a Great Demon."
"With demonic traces being discovered across the continent recently, to have a contractor of a Great Demon appear... Oh."
Croc realized he had overlooked something.
"If it was a contractor of a Great Demon, they must have been formidable... Which hero took them down? Was it the First Saintess?"
Theo shook his head.
Croc spoke again.
"Indeed... While the Saintess's divine energy is remarkable, it's hard to believe she faced a contractor of a Great Demon. Who then is the hero who punished this villain?"
---
[1. raei: uh said ninja is Naruto, in the off chance one of ya doesn't know.]
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