◈14. In Search of □□□□□ □□□ □□
Ordinary people would have shown at least a flicker of interest in the Seer’s riddle.
But the original Nikellus was not someone who indulged others’ riddles out of kindness.
Thus, he ignored the Seer’s words and tried to wake up from the dream.
He would have done so coldly—if he hadn’t heard the Seer’s additional comment.
—”This dream belongs to a sage who lived for hundreds of years. As a sage, he knew the answers to all problems, including the answer to the very question Your Grace is so desperately seeking.”
The original Nikellus, intrigued by this, finally listened.
The Seer’s lips curved into a mysterious smile, as if they had expected Nikellus to show interest.
—”The answer is here, in my hand. So… come and find me.”
The Seer then elaborated further:
If Nikellus rescued them from the Count’s captivity, they would grant him access to the sage’s dream.
From that dream, he would be able to find the answer to the problem that had been tormenting him.
The troublesome part was that the memory fragment I had recovered only brought me this far.
I couldn’t recall what exactly the ‘problem’ was that Nikellus had been so desperate to solve.
I tried digging deeper into the memory again.
—”I swear on the honor of my clan: if you rescue me, I will ensure you can gaze into this dream. Then, you will come to know □□□□□ □□□ □□.”
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t recall the most crucial part of the Seer’s words.
It was as if someone had deliberately edited the audio, leaving the voice garbled and incomprehensible.
What was certain, however, was that Nikellus had wanted to keep this ‘problem’ that was troubling him hidden from others.
That was why, when he went to rescue the Seer from Filma Ridge, he did so alone and in secrecy.
Even after causing a ruckus, when Luciana interrogated him, saying.
“Why did you have to go all the way to Filma Ridge to cause a scene?”
His excuse had been,
“I just didn’t like their attitude.”
A blatant lie to conceal his true goal—the rescue of the Seer.
‘What could it have been? What was the Oldest Seer planning to reveal? What kind of problem could have driven that insufferable Nikellus to venture alone into the Count’s territory just to rescue the Seer?’
Lost in thought, I came to a resolution.
It was clear this was a problem deeply tied to Nikellus’s life.
Taking this chance to rescue the Seer, I would ensure that I heard the truth from them.
“Ah, we’re here! That villa where the Seer is supposedly being held—isn’t it that one over there?”
At Rubin’s sudden exclamation, I raised my head.
Perched atop a cliff where the white waves crashed against the shore was a lone white villa, illuminated by the moonlight, standing silently against the night sky.
Having stepped out of the building with Bliss to search for Nikellus, Luciana cautiously broke the silence.
“It feels odd to ask this after you suggested we go looking for him first, but… what’s the reason? Honestly, I didn’t expect you to join us so willingly.”
Of course, from Luciana’s perspective, Bliss’s assistance was extremely welcome.
The church’s scrutiny toward Nikellus was still harsh, so raising a commotion to justify the search for him wasn’t an option.
Imagine leading a tired group of knights out in the dead of night, only to find him passed out drunk at a tavern?
That would be enough to destroy the small amount of goodwill Nikellus had regained after his recent archaeological work.
Given these complications, Luciana was grateful for Bliss’s quiet involvement.
Yet she couldn’t help but find it curious—someone like Bliss, who hated getting involved in troublesome matters, had agreed so willingly.
Hearing her question, Bliss’s lips curved into a subtle smile.
“When I see His Holiness—”
The first part of his leisurely response trailed into the next.
“He reminds me of my younger brother, the one I left behind in the Imperial Palace. They’re even about the same age.”
For a moment, Luciana froze mid-step.
Bliss’s younger brother—he could only be referring to Ernen van Friske, the half-brother who had betrayed him and usurped the throne.
It was obvious that Bliss harbored nothing but hatred for the brother who had stolen his rightful position.
And yet, here he was, saying that Nikellus reminded him of that brother?
‘Does that mean you want to kill Nikellus?’
It was a natural assumption.
But that interpretation didn’t match Bliss’s actions—he was currently aiding Nikellus, not harming him.
Did he want to kill him? Or… was it something else? Did he want to protect him?
Luciana couldn’t tell.
Unable to make sense of what she had just heard, Luciana froze in place, prompting Bliss to call out to her.
“Let’s hurry. The wind is starting to get chilly. At this rate, His Holiness might catch a cold.”
His words were ambiguous as always—was he being sarcastic or expressing genuine concern? Either way, Luciana resumed her steps.
Their destination was the cathedral stables.
Upon entering, amidst the snorting of horses, another sound, peculiar and low, reached their ears.
—Grrrr…
Luciana approached the source of the low growl and gently stroked its snout.
Covered in scales reminiscent of a dragon, the creature was far smaller and easier to mount.
Known as a ‘mountable beast’, it was a domesticated beast used for riding.
These mountable beasts were wild creatures subdued with taming skills, making them as manageable as livestock.
What set them apart, however, was their ability to fly.
Faster than ordinary horses and tireless over long distances, they were an invaluable mode of transportation for urgent journeys.
The two high priests selected the two fastest tamed steeds owned by the church and led them outside.
“Let’s begin.”
Upon hearing Luciana’s words, Bliss nodded slightly and activated his skill.
In that instant, faint, blurry figures began to appear around them—beings usually invisible but undeniably present alongside the living.
Luciana held her breath.
‘Are those the spirits of the dead, wandering this world…?’
The skill Bliss had just activated was the S-rank ability ‘Aid of the Departed’.
It summoned wandering souls lingering in the mortal realm, allowing the caster to seek their aid.
Under the influence of the skill, the manifested spirits whispered faintly into Bliss’s ears.
—Grk-grk… Grk… Grrrr…
To Luciana, it was no more than eerie noise.
But Bliss seemed to understand their words, nodding as if in acknowledgment before turning to her.
“The southwestern coast of Filma Ridge. After defeating all the soldiers at the Filma Count’s estate, His Holiness went in that direction.”
“Wait—what did you just say?”
“I said, after eliminating the soldiers at the Filma Count’s estate, His Holiness moved toward the southwestern coast of Filma Ridge.”
“What’s important isn’t where they went now… but… you’re telling me that His Highness ‘eliminated’ the soldiers at the Count’s estate… not that he apologized…? Did those spirits really say that, without a doubt?”
Luciana couldn’t believe what she’d just heard and repeated the question.
She hoped for a different answer, but Bliss nodded silently.
Her confusion quickly turned to anger.
“Why… Why would he do that…? After all the trouble we went through to prepare the compensation for Filma’s estate… why again…!”
“I don’t know that much. Spirits who wander this world don’t know everything.”
Spirits, unlike humans, aren’t bound by space.
They can move freely, so they often know things from far away.
That’s why, with their help, it was easy to find someone.
But they could only share what they’d witnessed; they couldn’t tell the full details or the reasons behind a person’s actions.
For Luciana, who didn’t fully understand Nikellus’s situation, it was a troubling thought.
At that moment, the ghost whispering to Bliss contorted its blurry face.
—Ah… aah… AAARGH! Kyaaaargh!!
A high-pitched scream erupted from the ghost.
The horrible sound sent chills down her spine, making every hair stand on end.
Even though Luciana couldn’t understand the ghost’s language, she instinctively knew that something was terribly wrong.
“…What was that? A scream? Or…”
Bliss, having deactivated the skill and sent the ghost away, looked at Luciana.
His face, usually relaxed, was now serious and tense.
“The spirits say that ‘Our Dear Holiness One’ will soon face a ‘terrifying and dangerous being’… one that will make him scream.”
Just like before at the Count’s residence, I had initially planned to charge in blindly toward the villa, but after reconsidering, I changed my plan.
Unlike earlier, when there was no reason for hesitation, I now know for certain that the seer was being held hostage inside.
For the sake of the seer’s safety, I couldn’t act recklessly.
So, for now, I hid in a nearby forest, and he was currently observing the villa through a high-performance telescope that Rubin had lent him…
‘The defenses are far weaker than I expected.’
It was odd.
Thinking back to the Count’s frantic resistance, his eyes wide in defiance as he tried to prevent the seer from being taken, it seemed obvious that the villa should be well-guarded.
After all, it was a place where such a valuable seer was being held captive—there’s no way security would be lax.
Yet, the villa in front of me now had shockingly few guards.
‘It’s almost like they want us to get in… Wait, could it be…?’
A dark suspicion suddenly arose.
‘No, it can’t be.’
I tried to dismiss the thought, but there were too many things that felt off.
After some deliberation, I called over Rubin, who had been waiting nearby, reduced in size.
“Rubin. I think it’s better if I go into the villa alone.”
“Huh!? Why!? Is it because I won’t be much help?!”
“No, that’s not it… It just seems like a trap.”
I gently asked Rubin, who was now visibly alarmed.
“Remember how you told me the Count was being controlled by a mental skill?”
“Yeah. You said it seemed like he was under a skill, but we didn’t know what kind.”
“Well, now that I think about it, I think it was the ‘Charm’ skill.”
Upon hearing that, Rubin finally understood, his small mouth letting out a soft exclamation.
“Ah! A dream demon species’ racial skill…?!”
“Exactly. The skill that dream demon creatures use to seduce and control the mind. The Count’s abnormal possessiveness earlier must have been a result of the seer’s charm skill.”
“Are you saying the seer used the charm skill on the Count to make him obsess over her? And then led him to kidnap her?”
“That’s right. So, this means—”
I stood up from my crouched position, having been secretly observing the villa, and continued.
“This whole thing was a setup by the seer. She orchestrated it to drag me in.”
“…!!”
It had always seemed strange from the beginning.
The seer, being who she was, must have foreseen that the Count would eventually kidnap her, so why did she allow herself to be caught without a plan?
‘Maybe she was just careless and got caught—’
I had thought, but now I was certain that wasn’t the case.
The seer had intentionally allowed herself to be captured as part of a scheme to bring me into the fold.
The evidence was clear—the security around the villa was intentionally weak, almost as if it were trying to lure me in.
“But why would the seer do something like this? Did you do something to anger her, Niké?”
“Not at all. I have no idea why she’s doing this. Anyway, considering how secretly she lured me in, it’s not likely she invited me to a party. There’s a 90% chance this is a trap.”
I gently patted Rubin’s soft, small head, trying to reassure him.
“Just stay safe and wait here. The ancient Polydroid repair center is gone now, so if anything breaks, we won’t be able to fix it.”
“Then you shouldn’t go in either! Why would you go in if you know it’s a trap?”
“Well… I can’t avoid it. Someone really bad keeps pushing me to do things.”
“Someone bad?! Who is it? I’ll go give them a lesson!”
I gave Rubin a bitter smile as he bared his little teeth and growled.
I appreciate the sentiment, but Rubin was no match for the person behind all this.
I decided to open the prophecy window to review the task assigned to me by that absolute being—the ‘Sixth Main Oracle’ I received when I first arrived here.
[Main Oracle #6 – Capture the Oldest Seers (In Progress)]
Sub-Oracle (1) – Move to the location where the oldest seers are waiting! (Completed)
Sub-Oracle (2) – Capture the oldest seers! (Incomplete)
[Oracle Completion Rewards List]
―A Condemned Prisoner's Sincere Tears
―Karma 250 points
―Foldable Succubus Wings
