Chapter 617
Chapter 617: Why Can’t You Hold a Conversation? (1)
Erlhardt, who had been staring at his hands for quite some time, finally lifted his head.
“Gathros.”
“Speak, my lord.”
“I’m curious about your thoughts. Do you really believe that the future is predetermined?”
“Indeed. Everything will unfold as promised. My continued existence is proof of that.”
Had he not acquired the sacred relic, Gathros would have been completely obliterated by Jerome’s magic.
But the sacred relic left behind by their nemesis, the Saint, saved him.
It was nothing short of a miracle. This was undoubtedly a blessing from the divine to fulfill his purpose.
Erlhardt responded to his words with a question.
“The revelation granted by the gods has not been realized as is. It has strayed from its course. The future did not flow as promised.”
“……”
Gathros was at a loss for words.
Only Erlhardt knew about his dream. He couldn’t fathom what had occurred in that dream.
Even if he knew the content of the dream, he wouldn’t have been able to empathize with Erlhardt. There was no need to worry so much about a mere dream. A dream is just a dream.
They were simply preparing to welcome the king and hasten the resurrection.
They had failed a few times, but whatever happened, in the end, the prophecy would come true.
That said, he couldn’t outright dismiss Erlhardt’s dream as nonsense. He genuinely believed in that dream.
‘Even if it’s a revelation, there are bound to be minor variables.’
Gathros bowed his head respectfully as he spoke.
“The scriptures do not detail everything in depth. Some variables and errors may occur. What’s important are the signs and the outcomes, aren’t they?”
“Hmm……”
“There have already been countless signs manifested, such as famine, rifts, plagues, and wars. It means that everything is happening as predicted.”
Erlhardt smiled slightly as he asked.
“Isn’t most of that our doing? It’s like you’re saying we created the prophecy ourselves.”
“……That too was predetermined. We were born to fulfill that.”
“Right, since that was also something that happened in my dream, I can’t entirely deny it.”
“……Indeed. Everything has been arranged long ago. So please do not worry too much and merely wait for the king’s resurrection. You are the last remaining ‘Apostle.’ You must wait for the promised day, should you not?”
No one else knew, but Gathros had been referring to Erlhardt as an Apostle for a long time. This was a fact known only to the high officials of the Salvation Society.
Erlhardt leaned back deeply in his chair and closed his eyes.
Indeed, no one understood him. Not even Gathros.
“Yes, everything will proceed naturally, so I guess all I have to do is wait.”
Surely that was the case. Even now, signs of the king’s imminent resurrection were continuing to manifest. He could feel the divine power spreading across the world growing stronger.
“May our king resurrect soon.”
That was what Erlhardt wished for more than anyone else. The king’s resurrection was crucial for him to obtain what he desired.
The resurrection of the king, and with it the fulfillment of his wishes, was a certain future. He believed that.
Thus, he always waited joyfully. His mind was filled solely with that thought.
However, the revelation was not perfect. The future Erlhardt knew was completely wrecked. All that remained was chaos.
That was why Erlhardt’s mind was now filled with nothing but thoughts of.
“Ghislaine Perdium.”
Only thoughts of her occupied his mind.
*
Ghislaine, who had been pondering over the identity of the Delphine Faction for quite a while, finally let out a sigh.
“I need to find and kill him quickly, but I can’t figure out where he is.”
Erlhardt had neither mastered swordsmanship nor magic. When they encountered each other, he felt no power at all. And if he had any strength, he would surely have shined in battle.
But Erlhardt had entrusted everything to his followers and did nothing himself. It felt like just watching how things unfolded.
That strange nonchalance continued to weigh on her mind.
Erlhardt exuded an aura distinct from the dignity of a high-ranking noble.
Furthermore, based on his actions thus far, he truly possessed an incomprehensible mindset.
—That demon was truly powerful. It was enough to send chills down my spine. No army in this kingdom could stop that demon. It was like a cloud of death without form.
When Erlhardt spoke like that, Ghislaine was inwardly surprised.
It felt just like he was narrating his past life.
How could such a thing be possible? It didn’t seem he had reincarnated like herself.
And calling him a demon was bizarre.
Though she hadn’t grasped it back then, Ghislaine now knew quite a lot about the existence of adversaries.
Erlhardt’s words continued to gnaw at her—a being from her dream, that demon.
“A dream…”
Just as she had dreamt through the sacred relic, was it possible that Erlhardt also received genuine revelations?
It was hard to say.
But one thing was certain.
—Ghislaine Perdium, you are that demon. You are my nemesis. You are the demon obstructing my path.
‘Nemesiss.’
Yes, she could never co-exist under the same sky with him.
From her past life to now.
It was a relationship riddled with a persistent bad fate.
In her previous life, Erlhardt had won. Now she held the upper hand, but the outcome was still uncertain.
Just because the Salvation Society had fallen and the war was over didn’t mean it was finished.
“I can’t call it truly over until I kill him.”
As soon as the Dragon Hunt concluded, she would unleash pursuit forces across the continent. He must be found and eradicated.
Only then could Ghislaine finally rest.
After that dream, she focused even more on her training. The newly gained realms were guiding her path.
An ordinary person wouldn’t have gained so much from that dream.
But Ghislaine was different. She had reached a realm where she could harness the powers of the world. Additionally, she was already aware of the techniques of those she saw in her dream.
Ghislaine decided to integrate the techniques she had seen in her dream into one. If successful, it would lead to considerable growth once again.
She swung her sword tirelessly in the training ground set up within the fortress.
Boom!
As Ghislaine wielded her sword, the surroundings trembled.
“Haah……”
After being holed up in the training ground for a long time, a knight approached her.
“Everyone has gathered.”
“Okay.”
In just a few days, the commanders of the allied forces had convened again. They looked a bit fatigued.
Naturally, it was to be expected as they had just dealt with monsters right after the war. It had been a horrifically exhausting battle.
But thanks to their preparations, they had managed to fend it off without great damage.
“I’m once again reminded that the Duke of Penris is exceptionally thorough in his preparations.”
“Does it not feel as if he knows the enemy’s strengths in advance?”
“It could have been catastrophic if we had made any miscalculation this time, yet the reinforcements and wizards were excellently positioned.”
The commanders chatted in groups, greatly praising Ghislaine’s judgments.
For Ghislaine, having experienced it all in a previous life, it was only natural to know. However, to those who didn’t know, she merely appeared to be acting like a prophet.
When Ghislaine entered the conference room, everyone greeted her with bright smiles.
‘Now our job is done.’
‘I want to go home quickly.’
‘I want to run away from dragons and whatever else.’
They had fought tirelessly. They wanted it to stop.
Especially, they didn’t want to contend with terrifying beings like dragons. Luckily, the Duke of Penris had taken care of things.
Ghislaine relayed what they wanted to hear.
“Thank you all for your hard work. As scheduled, the others will be moving out to eliminate the remaining factions. As for the dragons, I and the superhumans, along with the prepared wizards, will handle them.”
“Ooooh…… Ahem!”
The commanders of the allied forces stifled their cheers, exercising restraint.
They weren’t so oblivious as to openly rejoice in front of someone who had to confront the most dangerous foe.
They displayed the subtlety of seasoned nobles.
“Umm, are you sure you’ll be okay without us?”
“We’re just a little worried since you’re the only one going after the most dangerous enemy.”
“It’s perhaps a bit heavy a burden to place solely on some individuals….”
Everyone was making a fuss about it, words they didn’t mean.
They understood that once the Duke of Penris made a decision, he would see it through without fail.
He claimed he was to face the dragons solely with elite personnel. Having themselves around would only escalate the danger while providing little assistance.
So, they were free to feign humility.
“Please let us know if you ever need our help.”
“Of course, we’ve fought alongside each other throughout this long war, haven’t we?”
“How many years has it been? At this point, we’re practically sworn brothers, aren’t we?”
The commanders from various nations proudly spoke. Ghislaine smiled at that sight.
This is what camaraderie is about. They all were eager to lend a helping hand.
So she decided to speak her mind comfortably.
“Truly, I’m grateful just for your words. Battling alongside you will be the glory of my life.”
“Ahem, what are you saying?”
“We’re the ones honored.”
“Shouldn’t we form a friendship gathering after the war ends? Hahaha!”
Everyone laughed heartily. Ghislaine laughed along, then suddenly said.
“I was honestly worried about how to bring this up, but thank you all for bringing it up this way. However, I have one request.”
“Haha… what is it… do tell…”
The commanders’ words gradually faded away. A request from the Duke of Penris had never been a reasonable one.
Indeed, Ghislaine smiled widely.
“I recently made a promise to the soldiers, you see.”
Everyone’s faces turned pale. Having already heard the news, they could predict what was coming next.
After spending such a long time together, it would be a spy not to know that man’s personality.
At that moment, Marquis Alferen, who was present, hastily interjected.
“Ahem, please do not worry about that. The Duke of Penris has promised to ‘handle it himself.'”
After such a statement, it would indeed be difficult to speak up out of courtesy. That was what they believed.
However, Ghislaine was the type of man who could easily retract any words he had spoken if necessary.
“Ah, well, no matter how I think about it, I feel it’s a bit tough for me alone.”
“……”
“I think everyone should help out a little, don’t you?”
“……”
“Let’s gather some funds from each kingdom. Ah, I’m pretty exhausted, you see.”
“……”
Everyone fell silent. Other kingdoms were also stretched thin financially. Where on earth would they draw in so much money?
Moreover, given the current economic chaos, even if they did release funds, they wouldn’t circulate properly.
Of course, Ghislaine didn’t intend to worry about that. Claude would handle those issues.
“I know what you’re worried about. We’ll prepare policies for it as soon as the war ends. Just ready the funds.”
“……”
Everyone gulped. The atmosphere became quite awkward.
Ghislaine made a pouty expression.
“What is it? Didn’t you earlier say you’d let me know if you ever needed help?”
All the commanders glared at the one who had made that statement. Why did he have to say something so unnecessary?
One commander wiped his sweat and spoke.
“Um… as you can see, due to the long war, everyone’s situation isn’t great. In fact, half of our military supplies are supported by Ruthania, aren’t they?”
Ghislaine chuckled softly. They all knew that food supplies were tight due to the drought.
But that only applied to crops affected by the drought.
“Money-making items aren’t solely confined to food. I will be distributing plenty of food. You can support me with other items, can’t you?”
“W-what do you mean?”
“Gold, silver, precious gems, various rare minerals, artworks, magical tools, luxurious clothing or accessories already stacked high… there’s plenty, right? Those are all money, aren’t they?”
“We’ve practically sold off most of those due to financial issues…”
“Where did all those go?”
“Naturally, to each noble and merchant…”
“Then the wealth is all over there, isn’t it?”
“No, well… that’s not ours…”
Ghislaine’s eyes widened in surprise. She looked genuinely puzzled, as if asking what the issue was.
“Then just take it, right?”
“……”
It was such a simple and clear solution.
Everyone stared at Ghislaine with dazed expressions.
