“Then, the success or failure of this operation depends on this.”
“You mean… that you don’t have the imperial blood running through you?”
“That’s correct.”
I gazed silently at the gears once more.
An incomplete cogwheel.
That cogwheel shape doesn’t just symbolize ‘parts.’ In a game like this, if an item looks like a cogwheel, it’s certainly going to be used as a part somewhere.
And that ‘completed item’ will likely possess the goddess’s power or an equivalent ability. That’s what the Emperor is after.
In the original story, the Emperor claimed he would control everything underfoot and govern equally.
But is that really possible?
In the world I lived in, we called it a ‘great war to end all things and bring peace,’ but soon the Second World War broke out, leaving people in shock. In this world, since there hasn’t been a world war yet, it’s not strange for someone to have those thoughts.
But it’s odd that the being with such thoughts is the ‘Emperor.’
Throughout the story, the Emperor confidently prepared for war, and with all those advanced weapons, did he really think he could create a perfectly peaceful world with just ‘that one war’?
It’s often said that a character labeled as a genius in original works cannot surpass the intelligence of their author; still, it felt a bit strange for someone repeatedly described as having an ‘extraordinary intellect’ to not anticipate such outcomes.
Actually, there was a separate section on the wiki critiquing the character, citing real-world examples.
Well, among players who had consistently played the Chronicles of Aetherna, most believed ‘there must have been something behind that.’
If the world war was a ‘means,’ perhaps the Emperor intended to find something through that world war?
The reason he obliterated the border territories of the self-governing nations that were highly suspected to be the backdrop of the sequel. The reason why Damien, who often made appearances in the original, had been outside for years.
And the masked girl who never appeared in the original, and me.
There are simply too few puzzle pieces to fit it all together. But with just the corner pieces of the puzzle, it’s not impossible to shape the framework.
“I couldn’t fully utilize my abilities when that masked person was around before. At least you all here must have an idea of my abilities, right?”
“……”
Alice, Claire, and Leo all had serious expressions on their faces at my words.
“In the ‘future’ that I know…”
I hesitated a bit before speaking. How much should I reveal?
The conclusion was quick to reach.
“I can turn back time, but that doesn’t mean I have foresight. I do not know anything I haven’t experienced.”
“……”
“And the situation we’re in now is something I’ve never experienced before.”
“Then, how do you know about that ‘future’ you just mentioned?”
Alice asked carefully. Her not being easily visible was somewhat refreshing.
“Shall I say I read the script from outside the stage?”
Silence.
What I just said was a much heavier topic than just talking about abilities.
“Do you mean our actions… have already been predetermined?”
“Well, I’m not sure.”
I didn’t know either.
It’s true that this world resembles the game. But there are also many obvious differences.
I can strengthen weapons with Marmaros, but I can’t swap them around as freely as in the game. Moreover, how I attach certain elements changes the properties of the weapon entirely.
There are recovery devices, much like in the game. But not a single person questioned why, how, or for what reason those devices were there. Plus, in the game, recovery devices often served as shops, but that was impossible in reality. Naturally, a device created hundreds of years ago wouldn’t use ‘pound sterling.’
In the game, taking damage lowers your HP. And until that HP drops to zero, whether you’re stabbed by a sword, bitten by a beast, pierced by a spear, or shot by a gun, you will never die. Even after sustaining such severe attacks, the cutscene shows you without a scratch.
Yet in cutscenes, if you’re stabbed with a sword or shot, you die. Scars from significant battles remain, too.
Given all that, as someone who perceives this place as a ‘game-based’ world, I didn’t think the narrative of this world would flow exactly according to the game script.
To put it bluntly, if I weren’t here, Mia would have been killed by a bear in Winterfield.
“I can’t be completely sure about that. But at least it seems the ancients thought so. There are many prophecies foreseeing the future deep within the Imperial Palace.”
These were prophecies that theoretically exist and could be read in the original work.
“…So?”
“The contents of those prophecies largely aligned with what I know. However, they were much more… metaphorical.”
Honestly, compared to the real Bible, the Bible was way easier to understand. At least the Bible tells stories as stories. It’s not filled with metaphors like some poetry.
If I hadn’t grasped the future of the original clearly, it would have been nothing but meaningless word vomit.
A being with a grand plan appears, and that plan could undoubtedly succeed. But in the end, it fails.
…The Emperor must have been aware of that content. But knowing his personality, he’d probably think, ‘Then I shall overcome it.’ He’s a character immensely confident in himself. Even if he failed, he enjoyed the attempt itself.
“But I, the being referred to in that prophecy, do not exist. And neither does that masked figure. Meaning, there must be a being hoping for the prophecy not to unfold as foretold.”
Everyone was quiet, concentrating on my words, so I continued with the explanation.
“If there are beings like me who can manipulate time, there might be beings who can intervene from outside of time.”
“…The Goddess?”
Alice asked cautiously.
I neither confirmed nor denied. Nothing was certain yet.
“The reason I’m here, whatever that may be, can at least be called oppositional to whomever sent that masked figure. Because when that person and I are close, my abilities are nullified.”
But ‘not perfectly.’ If the power I possess is that of the Goddess, then the power of the opponent that nullified it cannot surpass the Goddess’s strength.
‘Not perfect.’
That could mean the suppressing power is ‘not fully realized.’ Even if I couldn’t definitively say who sent that masked girl from the future, that plan probably wasn’t an outright success.
Additionally, the masked girl’s abilities were blocked by another piece of knowledge.
There were some clues regarding the identity of the masked girl. The masked girl had a gun very similar to the one I used and was hostile toward Alice, yet she didn’t act aggressively toward me. In fact, she seemed to tease me, laughing as if having a wonderful time.
That attitude resembled someone who was just teasing me for fun.
If that was a badly flawed future version of Alice, and I thought she was being manipulated in some way by someone from the future…
…Every time I encountered that masked girl, pieces of knowledge didn’t go to anyone else but the masked girl and the Emperor.
And now, the barrier that enveloped the entire Papal State. That was something merely produced by magic and cannot be achieved.
To put it metaphorically, it could be said to be the power of the Goddess.
“The completed piece of knowledge will not be just one.”
What the Emperor is after is to use the Goddess’s power for his own gain. I didn’t know how it operates, but through a being with strong Fanggriffon blood, he’d gain access to the power of the Goddess.
Causing a world war to gather pieces of knowledge, using the piece on Claire, the strongest ‘suitable candidate’ with the thickest blood, to obtain the power of the Goddess in his hands. Then, ruling the world beneath him like a god.
That is surely the Emperor’s plan.
But if that’s the case, then this piece we see before us is…
“If there’s a piece of knowledge from the Empire to use or counter the power of the Goddess, then the opposite object must exist as well. Whether it was prepared by the Goddess herself or the Papal States over the past few centuries.”
And the Papal States were also collecting pieces of knowledge.
If possible, they must have wanted to possess both sides. Though one side was stolen for various reasons in the end.
“Then this is…”
Claire gasped and looked down at the piece. The light emanating from the piece shone brightly on Claire’s face.
As if it were asking to be used.
…If the Fanggriffon attempted to use its blood to stop the Goddess, then conversely, the Goddess must have sought a similar way to protect her own power.
That was the conclusion I reached while turning back time and organizing my thoughts on the way to Alice’s room today.
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