◈ 18. Why the Seers Tried to Kill Me
Once I pieced everything together, the overall situation started to make sense.
- A dangerous organization was targeting Luciana.
- Nikellus, determined to protect her, struck a deal to rescue the seers in exchange for finding a way to protect her.
Thinking it through this way made everything fit together.
Apparently, the seers’ claim that they knew ‘how to protect her’ had been a blatant lie.
‘Does Luciana herself know about all this…? No, she doesn’t. If she did, Nikellus wouldn’t have hidden the fact that he went to the Count’s estate to rescue the seers from her.’
At the estate, Nikellus had concealed the truth, even going so far as to behave like a deranged fool who acted out of sheer spite.
He did it all to prevent Luciana from knowing the truth—that Nikellus was suffering because of her.
He didn’t want her to carry the burden of guilt.
If Luciana knew the truth, she would feel indebted to Nikellus for his struggles on her behalf.
‘…Tch.’
Discovering the hidden layers of the original Nikellus, which I had been unaware of until now, left a bitter taste in my mouth.
If he had been a simple, thoughtless brute who lashed out the count without a second thought, it wouldn’t have weighed on me like this.
But the person I had taken over wasn’t just a mindless ruffian.
Even though his body was now just an empty shell inhabited by me, he had been someone capable of self-sacrifice.
At that moment, the monster’s voice, which had been merging together like a chant, split back into two, each expressing its own thoughts.
【If we knew how to fend off the Forgotten and protect Luciana, we wouldn’t be wasting our energy trying to kill you here. 】
【But since we have no way of knowing—】
【We’ll end up losing Luciana and, because of that, you’ll fall into their hands and be used as a puppet in their schemes—】
The monster unsheathed its claws and pawed at the ground like a raging bull, signaling its next move.
It was about to charge at me soon.
The attack was predictable, almost laughably straightforward that I could see it clearly.
However, even if I could anticipate it, it was too fast to evade easily.
【【That’s why we have to kill you here and now—before it comes to that! 】】
As expected, the monster charged at me.
To avoid being killed, I needed to dodge immediately.
But I deliberately stalled, holding my ground.
In that fleeting moment—briefer than the blink of an eye—only one thought consumed my mind.
‘I need to move perfectly, without the slightest mistake.’
I couldn’t afford to be even a moment late.
If I hesitated even a little, I’d be shredded to pieces by the monster’s razor-sharp claws.
But moving too early wasn’t an option either.
If I dodged prematurely, the monsters might notice the trap item I’d set behind my shield during our conversation and avoid it altogether.
I waited, calculating the exact moment.
Then, just as the monster’s claws were about to graze the nape of my neck, I leaned back and evaded.
【【…!!】】
The monster’s eyes locked onto the trap item, which had been concealed behind me and the shield.
It finally noticed—but too late.
They tried to stop in their tracks, but it was futile.
The massive body that had barreled toward me with deadly intent couldn’t overcome its own momentum.
It plunged directly into the trap’s range.
[The trap item “Trap for Night Visitors (A)” has been activated!]
The Trap for Night Visitor—an expensive trap I had bought earlier at the White Moon Store.
It wasn’t just expensive; it had a ridiculously strict activation condition: it only worked when the target’s health and mana were below 50%.
Still, there wasn’t a more useful tool for this situation.
The trap was specifically designed to catch ‘night visitors’, another term for dream demons.
【【Aaaagh…!!】】
I had purchased it on the off chance that the seers—possibly descendants of, or even directly connected to the progenitor of that clan, the Dream Demon—might fall into its scope.
Now, the trap was worth every coin I’d spent.
A glowing chain shot out from the octagonal trap laid out on the ground.
It slithered upward like a serpent, wrapping tightly around the enormous bodies of the dream demons.
The chains, likely imbued with divine energy, eventually coiled around their necks and solidified into unbreakable restraints.
[The captured night visitor’s combined skill ‘Soul Fusion’ has been forcibly deactivated!]
[The captured night visitor’s HP, mana, and stamina have been reduced by 80%.]
[All skills of the captured midnight visitor have been sealed for 10 minutes.]
—If the captured night visitor falls into a ‘combat-incapacitated’state, the skill sealing duration will be extended to one year.
Their transformations were undone, splitting the dream demon into two entities that collapsed onto the ground.
Their necks bore heavy, metallic restraints, preventing any further resistance.
At a glance, it seemed like I had gained the upper hand.
But I couldn’t relax yet.
Their strength wasn’t entirely depleted, and the skill seals would only last ten minutes.
‘To capture them in a completely safe state with all skills sealed, I need to render them fully incapacitated first—’
I frowned, feeling my divine energy dwindling rapidly.
My vision blurred as the exhaustion started to take hold.
‘I don’t even know if my body can hold up.’
With no time to hesitate, I lunged straight at the incubus.
Bang!
Its magic-enhanced arm collided with my mace.
The force reverberated through my body.
Up close, I could see its eyes glinting with murderous intent.
“You’re being selfish. If you’re a threat, act like one and accept being eliminated quietly. We all know what happens when a powerful apostle like you falls into their hands.”
“‘Their hands’? You mean those so-called Forgotten Ones…? And what happens if I do?”
It must’ve thought I was mocking it because it let out a bitter laugh, its eyes blazing with fury.
Of course, I wasn’t mocking it—I genuinely didn’t know.
So, I continued, without a hint of humor in my tone.
“I really don’t know what will happen. That’s why I’ll protect Luciana from them, and I’ll survive too.”
“And risk everyone else’s safety and peace in the process? They plan to use you to threaten the world’s peace!”
“Is that so…? Then I’ll just deal with it, step by step later. Who knows, maybe we’ll solve it all without anyone dying. Why is it always about killing someone?”
“…I told you. There’s no such thing as a perfect, ideal solution—”
“Are you sure?”
I dodged its swinging left hand, leaning back before asking again.
“Are you absolutely certain there’s no way to stop the Forgotten or whoever they are without ‘sacrifice’? Or did you just choose the quickest, easiest shortcut without even trying to find one?”
“…”
“No, before that… Where does your faith come from? The faith that the shortcut you chose will actually lead to the destination you’re aiming for?”
“…What?”
“What if you kill me, and yet the future you so desperately want to avoid still comes to pass? What if the world’s peace is threatened anyway?”
It didn’t answer.
Instead, it twisted its body, using its left wing to swing at me with deadly force.
Crack!
I barely managed to block the wing with my right arm, but the impact fractured my bones.
The wing had been reinforced with magic, increasing its strength.
If I had been fully conscious of the pain, it would’ve been unbearable. But—
[Due to the special effect of the item “Annihilation for Justice”, the pain is reduced!]
Once again, the item’s special effect reduced the pain.
Thanks to that, even though my bones were fractured, the pain wasn’t overwhelming.
Instead of screaming, I seized the opportunity to grab the base of its wing tightly.
With its movement restrained, I grinned sharply.
“Let me take a guess—you guys saw it, didn’t you? You saw the future and learned that the world will be destroyed a thousand years from now?”
“…!?”
“Looks like I’m right. You foresaw the world’s destruction at the hands of those so-called Forgotten Ones. And for some reason, they need Nikellus’s power to bring it about.”
“…”
“They’re targeting Luciana because she’s close to Nikellus. If they take her hostage, they can manipulate him however they want.”
“…”
“And to stop that from happening, you decided to kill me outright. Did I get everything right so far?”
“…”
“But there’s one thing you don’t know. No matter how perfect your plan for world peace is, if you kill me here, that plan will ultimately fail.”
The incubus hesitated before slowly opening its mouth to speak.
“…How would you know that? You’re not a seer like us.”
“You’re right—I’m not a seer. But I know exactly what happens to this world if I die. Because—”
I continued, revealing the secret I had never shared with anyone.
“Because I’m from that future a thousand years from now.”
“…”
It was a truth I hadn’t even told Luciana.
But it didn’t matter.
These beings had no ties to my companions, and even if they somehow approached them and spread my secret, no one would believe them.
So, without hesitation, I laid everything bare.
“A thousand years from now, everything is gone. Civilization as we know it is destroyed. All that’s left are dungeons and monsters… a world reduced to ruins.”
“…”
“Well? Do you believe me now? The future I just described—it’s exactly what you foresaw, isn’t it?”
The incubus’s expression darkened visibly, and I could tell my words had struck a chord.
They genuinely wanted to prevent that devastating future.
I delivered the final blow to seal my argument.
“Your desire to protect world peace is admirable, but your approach is flawed.”
The claim that the world would only be saved if Nikellus died made no sense.
The truth was, Nikellus’s original sin—the one displayed in the info screen even now—was that he watched idly as the world fell apart.
In other words, the world’s destruction wasn’t due because Nikellus did something, but because he did nothing and stood by as it happened.
“If I were the direct cause of the world’s destruction, like you say, it would make sense to kill me right now. But I wasn’t the one who destroyed the world. I was merely a bystander when it happened. I did absolutely nothing.”
“…”
“But if I die here, I’ll be unable to do anything once again, and the world will likely end up in the same fate. It will follow the same path of destruction, just like last time.”
The incubus remained silent.
Judging that it was listening, I continued.
“But if I survive… if I stay alive and act, not as a bystander, but to actively change the future—”
As I spoke, I drew a dagger from my belt and sliced through the incubus’s membrane wing with a swift motion.
【KYAAAHHH!!】
A howl, part beast and part something unnatural, escaped from it.
I locked my gaze on him, then finished my thought.
“Then, as an agent of change, I could shift the course of the future.”
“Ugh…”
I examined the incubus’s torn wing, running the dagger through my hand.
Indeed, it seemed the membrane of the wing couldn’t be reinforced despite the magical energy, having limits.
The bone structure of the wing was strong enough to crack my arm, but the thin membrane between the bones tore easily.
Even if it were reinforced, it was a naturally delicate area.
The incubus, holding onto its shredded wing, staggered backward before collapsing in defeat.
‘That’s it. He won’t be able to fight anymore. With one wing torn, he can’t even escape…’
Now, only one thing remained.
I turned my head toward the succubus, who had just regained her senses, a step behind the incubus.
Just as I was about to move…
“Elodie! Don’t come over here…!! Hah, hah… just run away!”
The incubus, gasping and clutching his wing, shouted at his sibling.
The succubus hesitated, but only for a moment.
Her judgment, unfortunately, was quicker than I expected.
“Hang on just a little longer, Oppa! I’ll heal enough to fight and come right back to save you!!”
The succubus glared at me with murderous intent one last time.
It was as if she were silently vowing to return, kill me, and rescue her brother.
Then, with a sudden leap, she soared into the air and shot straight toward the window.
Everything happened too fast for me to react.
‘She’s escaping!’
The oracle had clearly stated to capture the ‘seers.
Plural.
Meaning…
‘If even one escapes, fulfilling the oracle becomes impossible!’
Panic surged through me as I leapt with all my might to catch the fleeing succubus.
Despite my battered body, I pushed off the wall and lunged, extending my still-functional left arm as far as it could reach.
My outstretched hand brushed against her ankle.
I tried to seize it tightly, but—
“…No!”
But her ankle slipped from my grasp at the last possible moment.If only my body had been in better shape.
If only my right arm hadn’t been fractured, I could have caught her.
As regret and frustration swirled in my mind, the succubus escaped from the villa.
‘I was so close… and now I’ve lost her?’
I had captured the incubus, so she would surely return to rescue her brother.
But next time, she would come fully healed and prepared.
After her bitter experience today, she wouldn’t make the mistake of underestimating me again or falling into another trap.
‘Damn it.’
Grinding my teeth in frustration, I struggled to accept the bitter reality. That’s when I heard a voice.
“Your Holiness!!”
At first, I thought it was a hallucination.
But when I turned my head, I saw them.
Too vivid to be an illusion, they were unmistakably real.
“Luciana! And… Bliss?”
Luciana and Bliss?
That mismatched pair?
Why were they here?
A flurry of questions flooded my mind in that brief moment, but there was no time to dwell on them.
I quickly pointed out the window and shouted,
“I’ll explain later! Catch that dream demon escaping over there first!”
