Chapter 143
Alter entered the luxury inn and mulled over the words the fortune-teller had spoken.
He had briefly explained his past, and not a single detail had been wrong.
Most likely, what he had said regarding Brillie was also mostly accurate.
'I don't know exactly, but it seems I can at least deduce some characteristics.'
Alter had already discerned the phrases mentioned by the fortune-teller.
The reference to a great bloodline and a transcendent being pointed to the grand duke's house and the dragon, and he had even indirectly mentioned his mother's intervention.
For Brillie, he had spoken of the blood of a hero and mysterious colors, which must have referred to the Lihines Knight Order and Radiance, respectively.
Above all, since he had seen through the fate that bound him and Brillie together, Alter couldn't bring himself to have any doubts.
'He knew I was the great mage's disciple. But he didn't mention any names or titles.'
The fortune-teller had talked about things similar to what his mother had told him.
There is always a price to pay for seeing the future.
Perhaps, he was bound by certain restrictions regarding specific facts.
'Why did he lose his foresight? Don't tell me it's because of me and Brillie...'
"Alter, is something bothering you?"
"Didn't we get our fortunes read today? I was thinking about that."
"Oh, that? I guess he wasn't just a charlatan. Sometimes, there are real fortune-telling shops, you know."
"He seemed to know about my master. I'm sure he realized I am the next great mage as well."
"... He said you'd saved the nation four times, right? Wouldn't that be related to the war in the northern territory and the dragon subjugation?"
"There were four battles in total. I suppose that's correct."
Brillie pondered deeply and met eyes with Alter.
Alter was still wrapped in a solemn atmosphere and continued to worry.
They had only gotten their fortunes told for luck, so why was he taking it so seriously?
"Aren't you worrying too much? He only got a few things right, after all."
"He was waiting just for us. He had no intention of accepting any other customers, to begin with."
"He really didn't seem to be expecting anyone else. Made me wonder if he was truly a fortune-teller."
"As I'm sure you noticed, Brillie... he mentioned Lailnetia the Devouring and the Knight of True Flame. In reality, they are the only truly threatening monsters left."
"Could he have been referring to someone else?"
"What do you mean by someone else?"
"Uh..."
Brillie couldn't refute and fell silent.
Nothing else immediately came to mind that might be related to the situation.
In fact, the deeper she thought, the more only Lailnetia the Devouring and the Knight of True Flame came to mind.
"Lailnetia the Devouring is certainly a being that breaks the law of nature. The previous great mages have all approached it from a similar perspective. As for the Knight of True Flame... he's absorbed a dragon's mana twice. Such a person surely deserves the description 'a man with forbidden power'."
Alter was connecting the fortune-teller's remarks with reality.
Since she had uncovered the blurry pasts of both himself and Brillie, he couldn't simply dismiss her with skepticism.
On the contrary, he felt he needed to calmly take stock and prepare, if only slightly.
"But I still don't understand. If he really knows, why not say it outright instead of giving such vague hints?"
"There is a price to seeing the future... My mother once told me that. I suppose there are limits to what he can express."
"Your mother? Didn't you say she died after giving birth to you?"
"She left some lingering consciousness for me. It's a kind of last will, like a special sort of magic."
"...?"
Brillie couldn't quite accept it for a moment, then cleared her head.
She knew Alter's mother had been the great mage's disciple.
But since she couldn't clearly distinguish the principles of magic, she decided to just let it slide.
"Do you know why I got my fortune read by that fortune-teller?"
"Didn't you say you were just following your feelings?"
"... I felt like I had to at least hear him out. It felt as though I was being drawn in. I couldn't simply ignore it, so I planned to just stop by for a moment."
"So there was a reason after all?"
"Yes. If I must give one, I'd call it intuition."
"If it's the intuition of the next great mage, I'd better trust it. You always think deeply... There must be grounds for it."
Brillie no longer doubted the fortune-teller.
She simply trusted her husband and accepted everything as it was.
Even if it turned out to be a mistaken judgment, she could always persuade him gradually, later on.
"In truth, there's nothing I can do right now. All I've learned is that we'll have to fight someday."
"The explanations were odd. He kept saying we had to break the law of nature, or talking vaguely about process and results."
"..."
But Alter had managed to vaguely grasp the prophecy.
It must have been about the power of the dragon that had been given to him and the potential of Brillie's Radiance.
With the power of the dragon, he might just stand against it, and Radiance could eradicate malevolence.
'He said there's a chance Brillie and I could die. That means Lailnetia the Devouring is that strong.'
Lailnetia the Devouring possesses mana that corrupts all things.
Once something is corrupted, it can never return to its original state, inevitably heading toward ruin.
That is why Ru the Luminescent keeps such a keen watch on Lailnetia the Devouring.
'The Knight of True Flame... Will he end up attacking the Agnes Empire?'
Of course, Alter had long predicted that such a future might come.
No matter how high one's realm, it was impossible to claim all foreign powers as one's own.
The more one indulged in desire, the more one's body and mind would collapse.
'But still, I'm the one who must deal with the Knight of True Flame...'
Alter couldn't help but sincerely worry about Brillie.
Whether she managed to sever her past ties or not, a deep wound would be left behind.
They couldn't let a monster that threatened their homeland live, and she would have to face someone she'd respected as a swordsman as an enemy.
'Is it really alright to entrust it to Brillie...?'
"Hm... He told us not to have a child, right? So for the time being, we should wait?"
"That would be wise."
"But he did say our compatibility is good, so it wasn't all ominous."
More than anything else, Brillie focused on this point.
That had been their reason for seeking out a fortune-teller, and the answer she most wanted to hear.
If those prophecies came to pass, wouldn't that naturally prove their compatibility too?
'I can have a child later. Right now, getting used to married life is more important.'
Brillie chose to approach things from a different perspective than Alter.
In the end, battle with monsters was unavoidable, and they simply had to win.
Therefore, all she could do was quietly pursue happiness for herself and Alter.
'I worked so hard to get here. That's why I must win. For Alter's sake, I have to.'
* * *
After spending the second night of their honeymoon quietly, Alter visited the Semerune Holy Order's cathedral.
Having been warned, he had no choice but to act carefully.
Still, as it was their honeymoon, he couldn't afford to waste the precious time given to them.
"They say if you receive a blessing in front of the statue, all sorts of good fortune will find you... But doesn't this seem a little over the top?"
"There must be some other purpose, since they receive offerings. But there's no reason to stop us at the grand cathedral, is there?"
"That's true, but still..."
Brillie accompanied Alter as they were guided by the clergy.
The cathedral's archbishop immediately recognized both her and Alter and treated them as distinguished guests.
No doubt the Holy King or a holy apostle had contacted them in advance, which explained the favorable attitude.
"We only planned on stopping by for a bit, but isn't everyone watching us too closely?"
"If orders came from above, they can't be ignored. And we do have to consider our status, don't we?"
"We just came here on our honeymoon, so why make such a fuss?"
"When your titles are Sword Flower and the next great mage, a little fuss is inevitable. If not, it might be considered rude."
"I guess we should have come quietly."
"Ever since we held our wedding at the grand cathedral, coming quietly hasn't been..."
"This is the place. Normally, no one is allowed to touch the statue, but special permission has been granted to you both."
At the archbishop's words, Alter and Brillie immediately fell silent.
As they entered the sanctuary, a huge form came into view.
It was virtually the symbol of this cathedral, and a unique work of art besides.
"You won't see this statue even in the grand cathedral. It's a blessing bestowed only upon our cathedral."
"Is it really shaped after the Goddess Semerune herself?"
"Hm... I wouldn't say it's a perfect replica, but the sculptor of the age supposedly saw the Goddess with his own eyes and carved it directly. He died soon after completing the statue... So it became his final work."
The clergy removed the chain barrier that marked the boundary line.
The archbishop crossed first and took a reverent stance to bestow a blessing.
Alter and Brillie moved slowly, gazing up at the statue in awe.
'Could someone really make this alone?'
Brillie observed the statue of the Goddess Semerune with care.
The entire figure was clad in armor, with delicate beauty clearly shown.
In her right hand she held a sword—more like a knight than a Goddess, Brillie thought.
'If she's a Goddess, it doesn't seem like she'd carry a sword or wear armor...'
"Those who wish to receive the blessing of the Goddess are to pay their respects with reverence."
At the archbishop's declaration, Alter and Brillie reluctantly joined their hands in prayer.
They now faced the statue of the Goddess Semerune—determined not to leave with nothing.
Of course, it was probably just a superstition, but they felt they ought to play along.
"The Goddess Semerune shines her radiance upon this land, bestowing mercy and embracing all people..."
'I can sense the Radiance from you.'
Brillie heard an unfamiliar voice and instinctively glanced around.
It wasn't so much that the voice entered her ears, but rather that it seemed to resound from deep within her mind.
Who could possibly be speaking to her?
'Radiance is the will to destroy evil—light that cleaves the darkness. Though it was born from the universe, who could have known it would be perfected by humanity?'
'...?'
'Radiance has been passed down since the beginning, and now it has reached you. What made you awaken Radiance?'
Brillie finally figured out whose voice it was.
The statue of the Goddess Semerune was sending mana to her alone.
Could it be that the Goddess Semerune had manifested through the statue?
'I don't know the reason. I just felt I had to protect my companion.'
'... You awakened it for the same reason as the first. That too must be fate.'
Sensing the truth in that answer, the Goddess Semerune gazed down at Brillie.
Facing the descendant of Radiance, faint memories from the past began to surface.
The original bearer of Radiance had died as a human, yet she herself still remained in this world.
Perhaps the descendants of Radiance had given form to her existence.
'Soon, a crisis will come upon you. If you earnestly wish for it... I will descend, following the Radiance.'
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
Nice, Goddess' Blessing...
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】